{"nrhp_refnum":"89001501","name":"American Waltham Watch Company Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"185--241 Crescent St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Waltham","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.36668700000004,"lon":-71.24385750839949,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-09-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A district of about 8.2 acres on Crescent Street in Waltham, Massachusetts, containing the brick factory complex of the American Waltham Watch Company. The complex dates from the late 1870s to the 1910s and stretches nearly 1,000 feet along the Charles River.","why_significant":"The company descends from the Boston Watch Co., founded on the site in 1854 and described as the first in the world to make a complete watch under one roof. It was regarded as a \"model factory\" for safe, hygienic working conditions, and as the \"mother factory\" of other U.S. watch firms such as Elgin. It also held political and housing influence in Waltham's South Side. The extremely well-preserved complex blends Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival design.","narrative":"This five-story brick factory complex on Crescent Street in Waltham grew from the late 1870s to the 1910s along the Charles River. It occupies the site where the Boston Watch Company began in 1854, a firm described as the first in the world to make a complete watch under one roof. Later known as the American Waltham Watch Company, it earned an international reputation and was called the \"Model Factory\" for its fireproof construction, well-lit narrow wings, recreation rooms, first aid and child day care. Its buttressed, towered and pinnacled sections combine Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival details. The company also trained skilled workers who moved to rivals such as Elgin in Illinois, dominated local employment and politics, and helped shape the South Side through housing development. The complex remains largely unchanged since 1913 and now houses about 30 small businesses and manufacturers.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Queen Anne / Romanesque Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Condition described as good to excellent and remarkably intact; the complex houses a variety of small businesses and high-tech firms, with about 30 tenants.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.784288-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/5/7922/63792205/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89001501.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001501/f1dde3dfaf-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001501/f1dde3dfaf-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WalthamMA_AmericanWalthamWatchCompany.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_AmericanWalthamWatchCompany.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792205","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Waltham_Watch_Company_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q24256214"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/american-waltham-watch-company-historic-district-89001501/"}