Williams, Charles, Jr., House
Why it's listed
Standing at the northwest corner of Arlington and Lincoln Streets in Somerville, this house dates to about 1858 and began as a center-gable Italianate dwelling. Around 1888 it received an extensive overlay of Eastlake-style trim, inside and out. Notable features include an elaborate gable screen, a pedimented entrance porch with paired columns, and window hoods over the lower-story windows, supported by Eastlake braces and topped with iron cresting. Its wider importance comes from Charles Williams Jr., who bought the house in 1876 and lived there until his death in 1909. Williams ran an electrical shop in Boston where Bell and Watson developed their first telephone in 1875. In 1877 he had the world's first outdoor telephone line built from that shop to this house, a distance of three miles. The line was finished on April 4, 1877. The house is recognized for this telephone history and for its architecture.
Significance in brief: It was the terminus of the world's first outdoor experimental telephone line, completed April 4, 1877, running from Charles Williams Jr.'s Boston shop to his home. Williams was an early protege of Alexander Graham Bell and a major force in early commercial telephone service. The house is also architecturally notable for its extensive Eastlake overlay on an Italianate form.
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 89001228, listed September 18, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1 Arlington St., Somerville |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 18, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001228 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Italianate, with later Eastlake trim |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Communications |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residence; condition is listed as fair/good. Exterior walls are covered in aluminum siding. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.38600, -71.08151 (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 89001228.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14715435
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.