103 Thurston Street, Somerville

103 Thurston Street, Somerville MA, 02145. Courtesy of RedFin.

Place

This home is located within the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts, commonly known as the Stickney Subdivision.

Although 103 Thurston street itself holds no historic designations, it sits within the Thurston-Dartmouth-School Streets recognized historic district.

This area holds 11 individually recognized Queen Anne and Colonial Revival structures listed on MACRIS. Most properties constructed before the 20th century.

Warren, H. House depicting neighborhood Queen Anne architecture style. Courtesy of MACRIS. SMV.106.

Stickney and Poor

Stickney Subdivision gets its name from the Boston-based buisness Stickney and Poor Spice Company.

Rufus Stickney, heir and sole proprietor of the company lived in the neighborhood but also owned real estate holdings on Winter Hill. Hence, Stickney Avenue just around the corner.

Stickney and Poor founded in 1815 is the oldest spice milling company in the United States.

The company was located in Sullivan Square at the crossroads of Cambridge and Spice Street.

Stickney & Poor Spice Co. Founded 1815. Courtesy of Eldreds.

Architecture

103 Thurston St is a 5,117 square foot multi-family home on a 6,534 square foot lot with 6 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. It’s wood frame structure, standing at two-and-one-half-stories. The building sits on a raised masonry foundation and exhibits a symmetrical front facade with a prominent front-facing gable roof, clapboard siding, and restrained classical detailing typical of early 1900s residential architecture.

The facade is organized around a central entrance bay, featuring a large arched opening with a decorative surround, likely reflecting Colonial Revival influences through its use of classical proportions and formal detailing. The first story is distinguished by a brick veneer base, creating a strong visual division between the masonry lower level and the upper stories. Above, the second story contains regularly spaced double-hung windows with simple trim, while the attic level is illuminated by a small paired window arrangement within the front gable.

Decorative elements include a dentil-like cornice beneath the gable roofline and projecting eaves. The side elevation features a rounded projecting bay or turret-like element, a characteristic feature often associated with the late Queen Anne tradition that continued into early twentieth-century suburban housing.

The building reflects the transitional period in Somerville’s residential development when traditional Victorian forms were simplified and combined with Colonial Revival details. Its substantial scale, elevated foundation, brick detailing, and decorative woodwork suggest a residence designed for a middle-class household during an era of neighborhood expansion and increasing architectural variety.

People

103 Thurston Street

Chain of Title · 1883–Present

Pre-1900 · 1883

Land & Origins

Stickney & Poor Subdivision

Before 1986, many families came and went within the years. Using land records, the structure is assumed to have been erected after 1900. The land, with a pre-existing corporation, was not yet demolished and subdivided by Stickney and Poor until 1883.

1901–1937

William Frank & Marietta Hall

Early Residents of Record

Mr. and Mrs. William Frank and Marietta Hall resided at 103 Thurston Street from 1901 until Marietta’s death in 1937, spanning over three decades at the property.

1986

Kerri Burdulis

Earliest Recorded Deed

The earliest recorded deed on file. The Spinosa family purchased the property from Kerri Burdulis.

1986–1989

Spinosa Family

Owners of Record

Purchased the property from Kerri Burdulis in 1986. Conveyed to the Macaluso family in 1989.

1989

Macaluso Family

Owners of Record

Purchased the property from the Spinosa family in 1989.

December 31, 1992

Jakov Jakoulov

Purchaser

Acquired the property in 1992.

2001

Masha Shoykhet

Formally Maria Jakoulov · Spousal Transfer

Jakov Jakoulov conveyed the property to his wife, Masha Shoykhet — formally known as Maria Jakoulov — in 2001, transferring ownership within the family.

2021–Present

Masha Shoykhet

Trustee · S/L Children’s Trust

Masha Shoykhet re-titled the property under an S/L Children’s Trust, a common estate planning vehicle used to transfer real property to beneficiaries while retaining management control.

Somerville Journal Discoveries

The earliest entry confirming the address 103 Thurston Street was one of the first Hillside Club meetings in 1901.

The Hillside club was a social, literary and civic organization that was founded in 1882. They frequently met on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month at this very building.

January 13th, 1911 Somerville Journal entry describing residents of 103 Thurston to be Mr. and Mrs. William Franklin Hall. Courtesy of the Somerville Public Library.

William Franklin Hall death certificate (1924). Inferred to be first owner of 103 Thurston Street. Courtesy of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

After William died, Marietta lived at the home until she passed in 1937.

No public building permits or licensure records digitally available for 103 Thurston Street.

Thank you for reading about 103 Thurston Street in Somerville!

Acknowledgments:

City of Somerville. Municipal Records, Zoning Board of Appeals Files, and Property Documentation. Somerville, Massachusetts.

Middlesex South Registry of Deeds. Property Records and Deeds for 103 Thurston Street, Somerville, Massachusetts.Massachusetts Land Records.

Redfin. “103 Thurston Street, Somerville, MA 02145: Property Information and Building Details.” Accessed August 2026. (redfin.com)

Somerville Historical Society. Historic Leaves: Publications of the Somerville Historical Society. Somerville, Massachusetts.

Somerville Public Library. Local History Collection: Historic Publications, City Directories, and Community Records.Somerville, Massachusetts.

United States Census Bureau. Federal Census Records, Somerville, Massachusetts. 1900–1950.