National Register of Historic Places

United States Watch Company

Waltham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
September 27, 1989
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
89001494

About this property

The United States Watch Company is a historic factory complex at 260 Charles Street in Waltham, Massachusetts. Built in 1886 and enlarged in 1901, it represents one of the most successful spinoffs of the American Waltham Watch Company, Waltham's dominant watchmaker of the late 19th century. When the complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, it was the last watch factory left in the city. The United States Watch Company complex is set on the south side of Charles Street, roughly midway between South Street and Prospect Street amid predominantly residential buildings on the city's west side. Its main building is a long, roughly T-shaped brick building, three stories in height, with a four-story tower at its center. The tower is the most highly decorated element of the building with a round-arch entrance at the base, with a round clock face on the fourth level, and a pyramidal roof. The main wings are 22 bays wide, whose windows have granite sills and soldier brick lintels. The property also includes a small single-story brick power house, which is connected to the western wing. One wing of the building was built in 1886 by the first incarnation of the United States Watch Company, which was established as the Waltham Watch Tool Company in 1883. This business failed in 1895, and the factory was purchased in 1901 by a new United States Watch Company, which later purchased the naming rights of the E. Howard company and did business under that name. This business was still operating at the site in 1989, but the building is now devoted to other businesses. National Register of Historic Places listings in Waltham, Massachusetts

Location

260 Charles St.
Waltham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.37258, -71.24855

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

Clough, Benjamin F., House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Building at 202-204 Charles Street
Industrial
0.1 mi
Company F State Armory
Industrial
0.2 mi
Gale-Banks House
Pre Contact
0.2 mi
Warren, Nathan, House
Industrial
0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

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

Questions about this property

When was United States Watch Company listed on the National Register?

United States Watch Company was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 27, 1989.

What type of historic resource is United States Watch Company?

United States Watch Company is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for United States Watch Company?

The period of significance for United States Watch Company is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near United States Watch Company?

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