Round House (Somerville, Massachusetts)

The Round House is a cylindrical, wood-frame residential building at 36 Atherton Street in the Spring Hill neighbourhood of Somerville, Massachusetts, United States.

It was built in 1856 by hardware manufacturer Enoch Robinson, and is considered an offshoot of the octagon house-style popularized by phrenologist Orson Fowler.

Inside, the three-story structure contains a central rotunda topped with a glass skylight, with interconnected rooms branching off on each level.

The home was vacant by 1970 however during a 1986 restoration program, students from Boston's North Bennet Street School did a small amount of work renovating the exterior, but the project fell apart and the house remained in a state of decay.

Signs placed on the property in early January 2008 advertised nearby Diamond Edge Construction, and the thick brush filling the yard was largely removed.

The Round House in 2008 as renovation begins
The Round House in 2015 seen facing east towards Boston
Postcard from 1913 showing Robinson Round House