Boston Manufacturing Company Housing
Why it's listed
Two brick double houses at 153-155 and 163-165 River Street in Waltham were built around 1870 for the Boston Manufacturing Company. Each is T-shaped, with a four-bay by two-bay main block under a straight-sided Mansard roof. The symmetrical facades have paired narrow entries with transoms, two-over-two windows under raised segmental brick arches, brick string courses, and arched dormers. Number 163-165 keeps its original slates. Their size, brick construction and style set them apart from the company's usual moderately scaled wooden housing, so they were probably meant for higher-ranking employees. They are the company's only masonry housing. Their construction reflects the growth of the textile factory during the 1870s and 1880s, and the mill's prosperity shaped development between Waltham common and the Watertown line. The company sold the houses before 1901 to a Boston real estate investor, who sold them to the Waltham Bleachery in 1906. Both remain in residential use.
Significance in brief: The pair are the only masonry housing built by the Boston Manufacturing Company and are larger and more stylish than other Waltham worker housing. They were probably built for upper-level company employees and reflect the company's expansion in the 1870s and 1880s. The nomination cites criteria A and C.
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 89001535, listed September 28, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 153--165 River St., Waltham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 28, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001535 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Mansard |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is described as good; both buildings are in use as double residences. Slate shingles were removed from 153-155 around the 1970s. |
| Acreage | 0.8 |
| Coordinates | 42.37031, -71.22163 (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 89001535.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.