American Watch Tool Company
Why it's listed
Located at 169 Elm Street in Waltham, this two-story brick factory complex beside the railroad tracks grew in four stages between 1877 and 1916. The oldest parts include a mid-section from 1881 with a slate hip roof and cupola, and a long rear block. A 1901 front addition brought the building to the street line, and a 1916 north addition has a saw-tooth roof glazed to the north for even light. The firm began as the first spin-off from the American Waltham Watch Company, founded by former watch company employees including John Whitcomb, George Ballou and Henry Fisher. Ambrose Webster, a trained machinist, brought capital and designed machines for watch manufacture. The company made lathes, pinion cutters, punches and dies, and helped equip the Waterbury Watch Company. Later the Metz automobile company took control, and the plant remains in industrial use. The complex is valued for its local industrial history and for showing how a small factory expanded over forty years.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is tied to Waltham's most important late-19th-century industry, as the first spin-off company from the American Waltham Watch Company. It is also a well-preserved small industrial complex whose growth from 1877 to 1916 can be read in its structure.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 89001574, listed September 28, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 169 Elm St., Waltham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 28, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001574 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1877-1916 |
| Architectural style | late 19th/early 20th C. industrial |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is described as good, and the present use is industrial. |
| Acreage | 0.6 |
| Coordinates | 42.37165, -71.23163 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 89001574.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4745356
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.