National Register of Historic Places

Cliff, Z. E., House

Somerville, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
September 17, 1989
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
89001280

About this property

The Z. E. Cliff House is a historic house located at 29 Powderhouse Terrace in Somerville, Massachusetts. Built about 1900 by a prominent local developer for his own use, it is one of the city's finest examples of residential Shingle style architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The Z.E. Cliff House stands on the south side of Powderhouse Terrace, facing Nathan Tufts Park to the north, in Somerville's Powder House Square neighborhood. It is a large 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with a broad cross-gabled gambrel roof. The roof's side gables are conventional gables, their facades flush to the main wall, with a Palladian style three-part window near the center and a half-round window near the gable peak. The front-facing gambrel has a projecting attic level with a recessed pair of diamond-pane sash windows. The second floor has a projecting polygonal window bay on the left side and a Palladian arrangement on the right. Below the left bay on the first floor is the main entrance, sheltered by a porch that extends around to the left side. The porch is supported by grouped columns set on shingled posts with simple low balustrades between then. To the right of the entrance is a polygonal section with simple sash windows. The house was built about 1900 by Zebedee E. Cliff, a prominent local real estate developer and politician. Powderhouse Terrace was one of his highest-quality subdivisions. Cliff served an alderman and later mayor of Somerville. A carpenter turned developer, he has been credited with undertaking over $2 million worth of construction in Somerville before his death in 1934. National Register of Historic Places listings in Somerville, Massachusetts

Location

29 Powderhouse Terr.
Somerville, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.39968, -71.11659

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Powder House Park
Listed
0 mi
Nichols, John F., House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Lockhardt, Charles H., House
Industrial
0.2 mi
House at 197 Morrison Avenue
Modern
0.2 mi
West Somerville Branch Library
Industrial
0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Siege of Boston – Cambridge Lines
1775Revolutionary War
1.8 mi
Skirmish at Menotomy (Arlington)
1775Revolutionary War
2.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Cliff, Z. E., House listed on the National Register?

Cliff, Z. E., House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 17, 1989.

What type of historic resource is Cliff, Z. E., House?

Cliff, Z. E., House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Cliff, Z. E., House?

The period of significance for Cliff, Z. E., House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Cliff, Z. E., House?

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