National Register of Historic Places

Boston Manufacturing Company Housing

Waltham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
September 27, 1989
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
89001534

About this property

Boston Manufacturing Company Housing are historic residential housing blocks at 380–410 and 153–165 River Street in Waltham, Massachusetts. The housing was for the Boston Manufacturing Company (BMC), the earliest modern manufacturing facility in the United States. The housing was built in the nineteenth century and the two blocks of buildings were separately added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. These two buildings are located on the north side of River Street, between School Avenue and Willow Street a short way east of Waltham center. Both are 2+1⁄2-story brick buildings with mansard roofs providing a full third floor. They have symmetrical four-bay facades, with a pair of entrances in the center bays. Doors and windows are set in segmented-arch openings with brickwork hoods. The building at 163–165 retains the original slate of its mansard roof. These two buildings were built by the company in about 1870, probably for upper-level employees, and are a contrast to the wood-frame worker housing (now heavily altered) that stands behind them. 380–410 River Street consists of a pair of rowhouses located on the south side of River Street, between Jackson and Elm Streets. The eastern of them includes six units in a wood-frame structure, while the western one has ten units in a brick structure. Both are two stories in height, with gabled roofs. Entrances to the units are arranged in pairs, sheltered either by a hood supported by Italianate brackets, or by a portico supported by posts. These units were built by the BMC in the 1880s, as it expanded eastward. This type of housing was once quite common in the city, and these rowhouses are one of only two known groups to survive relatively intact (the others are on Lawton Place). National Register of Historic Places listings in Waltham, Massachusetts

Location

380--410 River St.
Waltham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.37382, -71.23134

Categories

INDUSTRYCOMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTARCHITECTURE
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

Gilbrae Inn
Early Republic
0.1 mi
Olcott, John E., House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Lawton Place Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Waltham Gas Light Company
Industrial
0.1 mi
American Watch Tool Company
Industrial
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Skirmish at Menotomy (Arlington)
1775Revolutionary War
4.8 mi
Battle of Menotomy
1775Revolutionary War
4.8 mi
Lexington Green — Parker's Stand
1775Revolutionary War
5.1 mi
Battle of Lexington
1775Revolutionary War
5.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Boston Manufacturing Company Housing listed on the National Register?

Boston Manufacturing Company Housing was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 27, 1989.

What type of historic resource is Boston Manufacturing Company Housing?

Boston Manufacturing Company Housing is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Boston Manufacturing Company Housing?

The period of significance for Boston Manufacturing Company Housing is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Boston Manufacturing Company Housing?

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