Snow, Lemuel, Jr., House
Why it's listed
Built around 1890 at 81 Benton Road in Somerville, this 2 1/2 story house is a patternbook-inspired example of Queen Anne styling. It has a gabled roof and a full-height gabled polygonal bay offset to the left. The bay's roof projects slightly and rests on oversized consoles. A shed-roofed entrance porch features bulbous turned posts and an openwork frieze, and alternating bands of clapboard and shingle patterns enliven the facade. The house is recorded in excellent condition, with no major alterations and no outbuildings. It was built and occupied by Lemuel Snow Jr., a Somerville truant officer and the son of a local carpenter. Several similar houses on Benton Road and neighboring Hudson Street share its form and decorative vocabulary, and all may be his work. The house was listed for its architectural character, as an intact local example of the style that keeps its original location, design, materials and workmanship.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be an intact example of patternbook-inspired Queen Anne design that retains integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. It meets Criterion C at the local level. It is also one of several similar period houses on Benton Road and Hudson Street that may all be the work of the same builder.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 89001234, listed September 18, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 81 Benton Rd., Somerville |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 18, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001234 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Lemuel Snow, builder |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Recorded in excellent condition, still used as a residence, with no major alterations, no outbuildings, and not moved. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.38954, -71.10495 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 89001234.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6521580
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.