{"nrhp_refnum":"76000950","name":"Fessenden, Reginald A., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"45 Waban Hill Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newton","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.340408635000074,"lon":-71.17127366399504,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-01-07","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1976-01-07","areas_of_significance":["Science"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick-stucco house at 45 Waban Hill Road in the Chestnut Hill section of Newton, Massachusetts, built in 1919. It was the home of radio inventor Reginald A. Fessenden from 1919 to 1932.","why_significant":"The house is significant for its association with Reginald Fessenden, who lived there during the last 12 years of his life. Fessenden made major contributions to radio, including the first transmission of speech and music, and held over 300 inventions. The house itself is described as vernacular architecture, with its integrity intact since the Fessenden period.","narrative":"This three-story brick and stucco house at 45 Waban Hill Road, in the Chestnut Hill section of Newton, Massachusetts, was built in 1919 and served as the principal residence of inventor Reginald A. Fessenden until his death in 1932. Its vernacular design includes a tiled roof, hooded entrance, unusually large chimney, casement windows and an asymmetrical massing. The interior follows a central hall plan, and neither interior nor exterior has been altered since Fessenden's time. Fessenden, born in Quebec in 1866, worked with Thomas Edison, taught electrical engineering, and later led research at the National Electric Signalling Company. He is credited with the first transmission of speech and music in 1906, the heterodyne principle, and a rotary spark gap transmitter, among more than 300 inventions. Although he moved often and also kept a winter home in Bermuda, he lived in this house longer than anywhere else. The property was recognized for its link to his work in wireless telephony.","period_of_significance":"1919-1932","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Vernacular","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition, unrestored and unaltered since the Fessenden period; occupied as a private residence. Later designated a national historic landmark.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.384255-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/81/7937/63793781/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/76000950_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000950/19d3449358-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000950/19d3449358-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NewtonMA_FessendenHouse_front.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NewtonMA_FessendenHouse_front.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793781","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_A._Fessenden_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7308569"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/fessenden-reginald-a-house-76000950/"}