{"nrhp_refnum":"89001492","name":"Olcott, John E., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"35--37 Central St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Waltham","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.372485923000056,"lon":-71.23032538199993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-09-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick double house at 35-37 Central Street in Waltham, Massachusetts, built around 1837 in the Federal style. It is probably the work of John E. Olcott, a bricklayer from Watertown.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a rare Waltham example of masonry Federal construction, in a town where wood was the usual building material until the early 1900s. It is also tied to a known bricklayer owner. Its vernacular rear-wall chimney form contrasts with high-style examples such as Gore Place.","narrative":"Built around 1837 on Central Street in Waltham, this two-story brick double house reflects the earliest development of the neighborhood east of Waltham Common. Central Street, first called Middle Street, was laid out around 1836-1837. Deed research indicates the house probably represents the craftsmanship of John E. Olcott, a bricklayer from Watertown, who bought the lot for $600 and lived there until as late as 1887. The building has a five-bay by two-bay main block under a low hip roof, with walls of stretcher-bond brick and a rear-wall chimney. An enclosed porch projects from the center of the facade, and most windows now hold replacement sash. Despite these changes, it is valued as a rare surviving brick Federal-period house in a city where wood construction dominated until the early 1900s. It is still used as a private two-family residence on a corner lot.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"John E. Olcott, bricklayer","architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Present use is a private residence (double); condition is described as fair-good, with a front entrance porch added at an unknown date.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:02.155481-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/57/7907/63790757/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89001492.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001492/9c56fc9255-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001492/9c56fc9255-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WalthamMA_JohnEOlcottHouse.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:WalthamMA_JohnEOlcottHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790757","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_E._Olcott_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6230863"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/olcott-john-e-house-89001492/"}