Beard, Josiah, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1844, this 2½-story clapboard house at 70 School Street in Waltham is a vernacular sidehall-plan example of Greek Revival design. It has a gable roof with a pedimented attic, a full entablature, paneled corner boards with an unusual spade-shaped detail, floor-length first-floor window architraves, and an encircling portico on fluted Doric columns. Later additions include ells on the south and west, a cross-gabled bay on the east, and a double front door. Josiah Beard, the original owner, reportedly invented the bottle cap and served as selectman, bank director and state representative in 1862. The house first faced Church Street on a corner lot. After Beard died in 1885, Thomas P. Smith bought the property, built the Hotel Kilby apartment building on the corner in 1888, and moved the house around the corner to School Street. It was rented afterward. The house reflects the growth of the neighborhood as a home for workers and small businessmen.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it a well-detailed, well-preserved example of a vernacular sidehall-plan Greek Revival house, with a pedimented gable, full entablature, paneled cornerboards and an encircling Doric porch. Its original owner was a prominent citizen, and it illustrates the mid-19th-century development of the north central Main Street area as a home for workers and small businessmen.
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 89001529, listed September 28, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 70 School St., Waltham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 28, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001529 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect unknown; built by Josiah Beard (apparently) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential; condition is described as good, with no major alterations listed. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 42.37781, -71.23428 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 89001529.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6290420
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.