BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
FORM B - BUILDING MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 80 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 1577 AUG 2 1 1989 WATIOMAL REOSTE AREA FORM NO. 30 Town- WALTHAM, MA MRA Waltham, MA Address 120 Crescent St. Historic Name Henry N. Fisher House Photo (3"x3" or 3"x5", black and white). Indicate address of property on back of photo. Staple to left side of form. Sketch Map: Draw map showing property's location in relation to nearest cross streets and/or geographical features. Indicate all buildings between inventoried property and nearest intersection(s). Indicate north Sce attached Sheet. Use: Present private residence Original DESCRIPTION Date 1881-1886 Source maps.
atlases, deed research Style Queen Anne Architect -- unknown Exterior Wall Fabric clapboards and shingles Outbuildings garage NC Major Alterations (with dates) Ist floor bow front dining room added during early 1900 Side porch enclosed (n.d.) Condition excellent UTM REFERENCE 19/3/5410/4693000 USGS QUADRANGLE NEIVTON SCALE 1:25,000 Moved no - Data n/a -- Acreage 13,459 sq. ft. 0.3A - 18-18-6 Setting situated on a large corner lot with ample, well maintained side lawn. Key com- ponents in Crescent St's collection of well crafted Victorian houses Recordedby Ed Goron Organization Date Waltham Historical Comm. July, 1986 revised by C. Jenkins 3/88 NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA STATEMENT (if applicable) The Henry N. Fisher House is part of Crescent St's collection of well-crafted and well- detailed Queen Anne Houses. Built c.1881-1886, this house was for many years the residence of Henry N.
Fisher, Mayor of Waltham (mid 1880's-late 1880s), Foreman of an American Watch Co. department, President of the Waltham National Bank and President of the Northwestern Investment Co. at. Pre dnnt f the hattham Nac The construction of this house is also representative of the South Side's development by the Waltham Improvement Co. in the second half of the 19th century. The Fisher House possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association, and meets criteria A, B, and C of the National Register of Historic Places. ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE Describe important architectural features and evaluate in terms of other buildings within the community. #120 Crescent possesses the irregular plan and well-crafted encircling verandah of a Queen Anne house. Its side hall plan, octagonal bay and gable roof with return eaves strikes an Italianate note.
Particularly noteworthy is the encircling verandah with turned porch posts, Chinese lattice work railings, spool work transom and sunburst motif at the porch pediment. Projecting from the north wall is an unusual 1-story bow front that was added during the early 1900s. This house's interior possesses handsome marble fireplaces, well executed cornice moldings and, above all, fine wood work--including Tiger maple(?) parlor doors, wainscoting, stair rails, etc. The rooms at the rear of the house including the former summer kitchen have been reworked. This house 1ooks like what it is--the well executed home of a former Waltham mayor. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE Explain the role owners played in local or state history and how the building relates to the development of the community. #120 Crescent St. was built at some point between 1881-1886 although its original occupant, Henry N.
Fisher, had owned this lot since 1871. He purchased #120 Crescent St.'s land from the American Watch Co. on Dec. 27, 1871 for #1202.74. Although the 1880 Waltham Directory lists Fisher as living at the corner of Crescent St. and Chestnut St., the 1881 Birdseye - view map of Waltham shows this house's lot as vacant. This house first appears on the 1886 map. This house has significant historical associations with Henry N. Fisher. He was born - in New Hampshire in 1844 and came to work at the watch factory before the Civil War. During the Civil War he enlisted in the 35th Massachusetts Regiment. He was severely wounded at the Battle of Antietany in September 1862. Henry N. Fisher returned to the American Watch On June 1, 1872, George F. Ballou, John E. Whitcomb and Henry N.Fisher, all employed at the Watch Factory began the manufacture of watchmaker's lathes at 7 Province Court, Boston.
In November, 1873, the business carried out under the name of Ballou, Whitcomb and Co.moved to Waltham, MA. The company was located on Felton St: Judging by early 1880's directories, Fisher returned to work at the watch factory. At that time he seems also to have been employed at W.L. Fisher Co. - _"periodicals, fancy goods, etc.' , four one year terms as mayor of Waltham (1885-1889). By 1895 he was the president of the ' prominently in local Masonic circles. Henry N. Fisher died in 1916--in that year Phillip TELEEE Mr. Fisher served Northwestern Investment Co., based at 92 State St., Boston. For many years he was a vice president and later president of the Waltham National Bank. In addition he figured BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES .: h Waltham Maps and Atlases--1854,1874, 1881,1886,1898, 1900 Waltham Directories--late 19th C. "Waltham Sourvenir"--1895 D.H.
Hurd's History of Middlesex County--1890 8/85 4 A41 Henry N. Fisher House #30 120 Crescent Street (cont'd) HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE and Grace Burke purchased this house--their son Hal Burke continues to own this house. 120 Crescent St.'s land is part of the crescent-shaped area west of Moody St. that was purchased by the Boston Watch Co.-related Waltham Improvement Co. (WIC) in 1854 The 160 acre tract had been the old Bemis Farm. Waltham's South Side had been purchased from Newton in 1849. The WIC began to layout streets (which could now be gaslit), transforming the remainder of its one-sixth portion of the South Side by its use of both a grid system and restrictive covenants. In force until the 1880's, these covenants established the predominantly residential and protestant character of the WIC's holdings in the western section of the South Side.
This company's exclusion of both the "foreign born" and "noisy, nauseous and offensive trade" was reinforced in 1858 when it merged with the watch company, which only hired the Protestant and "native born" for several decades. The transformation of the South Side really got underway during the next quarter century, following the patterns established earlier. Within three or four years of the watch company's arrival, Crescent Street had seventeen houses. By the early 1890's Crescent St. was lined--particularly along the river side--with the substantial, often elaborately detailed, mansard and Queen Anne house of the American Waltham Watch Company's executives and department foremen. NPS Form10-900-e (8-86) United States Department of theInterior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number. Page - OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 AUG 2 | 1989 Multiple Resource Area Thematic Group Name State Waltham MRA Middlesex County, MASSACHUSETTS Nomination/Type of Review 21. Colburn, Gilbert, House 0 13 National kegister Date/Signature Keeper HelmuBqu /21/04 22. Company F State Armory 23. Dow, Lenoir, House Suk 24. Dunbar--Stearns House 25. East Main Street Historic District Entered the National Registez 26. Eastern Middlesex County Secoendd in the District Court Mational Registen Attest Entered in the National Register (Keeper 6 Aelmpza 2/20/69 Attest Entered in tha Natloted Reglater traoper AueruBogun 9/21/84 Attest Bubotanttro Rortor gukeaper Batf Saunge 311/40 Attest 9/25/69 Attest fRoper Auloupgur 9px/p Attest Sun 21. First Congregational Church SubstantIve Rev SoKeeper Attest patht age e/2e1 sur 28. First Parish Church Mnbatantive HoinE for Keeper Betto Sunge 9hr/a 29.
Fisher, Henry N., House Register JKeeper Attest KelmuBze gbots 30.
Fiske, Elijah, House Entered In tua 3tntaz Xelmes Dya 9/2165 Attest UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY Fisher, Henry N., House NAME : MULTIPLE Waltham MRA NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Middlesex DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 8/21/89 9/21/89 DATE OF PENDING LIST: 9/05/89 DATE OF 45TH DAY: 10/05/89 REFERENCE NUMBER: 89001577 NOMINATOR: STATE REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: N OTHER: N PDIL: N PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: N REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: N COMMENT WAIVER: N ACCEPT RETURN REJECT 9/28/9 Entered in the DATE National Register ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS: RECOM./ CRITERIA REVIEWER DISCIPLINE DATE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N CLASSIFICATION count resource type STATE/FEDERAL AGENCY CERTIFICATION FUNCTION historic current DESCRIPTION architectural classification materials descriptive text SIGNIFICANCE Period Areas of Significance--Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance _justification of exception other BIBLIOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHICAL DATA acreage UTMS verbal boundary description boundary justification ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION/PRESENTATION sketch maps OTHER COMMENTS USGS maps photographs presentation Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to Phone Signed Date Crescentst Fishor, Hery N., Herxe Mitef3o waltham.
Us MRA Fisher, HavyM, Heuse MIC#30 waltham.ut MKA 120 crescent st. Fisher, Hery N., Here uitc #30 waltham. Ma unt 120 crescent sh Common W alth 10 /BÓ 2 6 M las chusetts 85.8 12x 180 1.100 RIVER 74.61 835 15 13.8 -260- 25 79,24 7034 .2 8 110 6g 82.5 9 55 , 60(s) 63 98-405 197 13 L8ERS 11 98-405 15990 82.5 12 V -138- 154.53 90 13 72.88 150-148 14 4 81.36 11.82 156 52.24 58.08 (23.06 13 55.46 86 12 1cisI 10-12 MAPLE 40.3 P/O 69 -I-1 < 14l(d) 19 ,500 3 148.68 100(s) 29.% 2 88.07 148.68 _97-95 150 151.08 5 80 .103-10L WALNUT S 31.75 6 - 104 84.31 62 114 67 139.67 112-10 108.6 2 18 92.09 182.09 5 le 139.02 50 6 50 90:64 SE 30 4 118.75 5 42.641 3 443 CHESTNUTS 46-18. 158/400- -20.22 62.375 1Z12 ST. 7 , 2 62.37- : 299.000 WALTHAM, MA MRA Henry N. Fisher House 120 Crescent Street 1" = 100' 1975; updated to 1987 Waltham Engineering Dept.
#30 lot #68-18-6 CHARLS 13600 % CRESDENT C 16388 060 4 ST. *= 77040 SPYCE 20 21-29 14395 91-95 1580o 20954 109 10 12000 7385500 13200 E 680 ADAMS 1759 F 2000 19230 226/0 4680 CHESTNUT CHEStNUT 1970 Atlas, Cityof waltham Compiled by the walthamy Engineering Division Scale: 1 inch = 140 Feet WALTHAM, MA. MRA 120 Crescent st- H.N-Fisher House 4- E - 10, MIc#30 Please refer to the map in the Multiple Property Cover Sheet for this property Multiple Property Cover Sheet Reference Number: 64000301