Somerville Journal Building
Why it's listed
Built in 1894 at the bottom of Walnut Street near Union Square in Somerville, this three-story brick building was constructed by the Somerville Journal Company to house its newspaper operations. The Journal had been founded in 1870 and previously operated from the Hill Building in the square. The new plant was designed for three large fast-running presses, four job presses, and folding, cutting and mailing machines, and the paper employed fifty people at the time. The building sits on a raised basement with a brownstone stringcourse and keeps its corbelled cornice, six arcaded upper-story windows, commercial storefront and recessed entrance, with eight bays of windows with relieving arches along the sides. Its style is described as Renaissance Revival mixed with vernacular commercial design. It is considered a typical small business block of the late 19th century and a reminder of Union Square's growth as a commercial center. The building was recorded as vacant, in poor to fair condition, after vandalism in the 1980s.
Significance in brief: The building is tied to the Somerville Journal, a local newspaper founded in 1870 that is still published. It is also representative of small business blocks built at the end of the 19th century. The form says it retains integrity and meets Criteria A and C at the local level.
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 89001300, listed September 18, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 8--10 Walnut St., Somerville |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 18, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001300 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival/vernacular commercial |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is given as vacant; condition is poor-fair, with vandalism in the 1980s. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.38140, -71.09703 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 89001300.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7559978
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.