{"nrhp_refnum":"89001565","name":"Holbrook, Richard, Houses","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"27 Heard St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Waltham","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.376355587000035,"lon":-71.23046242699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-09-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A pair of one-and-a-half story Greek Revival cottages at 29-31 Heard Street in Waltham, Massachusetts, built about 1844 by the housewright Richard Holbrook. The two clapboard houses were later joined by a connecting link.","why_significant":"The houses are a well detailed and unusual example of Greek Revival design in Waltham, being one of very few 1½ story cottages in the style and the only surviving double house. The builder is known, which adds to the architectural value. They also illustrate the mid-19th century growth of the Main Street area as a home for workers and small businessmen.","narrative":"Two small Greek Revival cottages stand side by side at 29-31 Heard Street in Waltham, on a very narrow street of closely spaced mid-19th century houses. Richard Holbrook, a housewright, built them about 1844 after buying the lots in 1843 from George Miller, who developed this part of the area. Each is a one-and-a-half story clapboard house with a pedimented attic, deep cornice, full entablature, cornerboards, gable windows and a side center entrance. Original 6/6 sash survives, and the entrance at 29 Heard keeps its corniced entablature and sidelights. The pair is the only surviving example in Waltham of Greek Revival houses built as a double, and few cottages of this type remain in the city. Early owners included carpenters, a mechanic, a laborer and a grocer, reflecting the working-class and small-business character of the neighborhood. Patrick Welch acquired both by 1892 and probably joined them with a connecting link. The houses remain residential and in good condition.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Richard Holbrook, housewright","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Residential use, condition described as good; the connecting link was built between 1900 and 1911 and a non-contributing garage is on the lot.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:00.035869-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/8/7917/63791708/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89001565.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001565/692585cd32-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001565/692585cd32-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WalthamMA_RichardHolbrookHouses.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_RichardHolbrookHouses.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791708","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Holbrook_Houses","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7326493"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/holbrook-richard-houses-89001565/"}