{"nrhp_refnum":"89001503","name":"Charles Street Workers' Housing Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"128--144 Charles St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Waltham","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.37385929900006,"lon":-71.24300500099997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-09-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small one-block residential historic district in Waltham, Massachusetts, on Charles Street between Williams and Harvard Streets, made up of four workers' houses built around 1865.","why_significant":"The district is described as a nearly intact reflection of Waltham's industrial heritage and the housing for its mid-to-late 19th century workers. It illustrates the westward growth of the city's neighborhoods and is associated with the Irish community. The four houses are also well-preserved examples of vernacular workers' housing.","narrative":"Four modest houses along Charles Street in Waltham, between Williams and Harvard Streets, form a compact district of workers' housing built around 1865. Each rises two and a half stories to a gable roof with twin stove chimneys and is clad in wood shingles. Most carry wide fascias that recall Greek Revival friezes. One is a double house with an eight-bay facade and two hip-roof porches; the others are single-family houses, one with a recessed entry and one altered with a new porch and replacement sash. The land was bought in 1864 by Edward Campbell, a laborer, and the houses were built the following year to serve workers at nearby industries. Patrick Noonan, also listed as a laborer, owned one of them. The surrounding area developed as an Irish enclave, reflected in street names such as Noonan Street and Duddy Avenue. The district was listed for its link to Waltham's industrial growth and for its well-preserved vernacular architecture.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Vernacular","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Present use is residential; general condition is described as fair.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.423878-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/60/7922/63792260/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89001503.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001503/0bdd47791e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001503/0bdd47791e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WalthamMA_CharlesStreetWorkersHousingHD.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_CharlesStreetWorkersHousingHD.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792260","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Street_Workers%27_Housing_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5082723"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/charles-street-workers-housing-historic-district-89001503/"}