Buttrick, Francis, House
Why it's listed
This two-and-a-half-story house at 44 Harvard Street in Waltham is a temple-front Greek Revival building, one of only four of its type surviving in the city. It was built before 1852 on Charles Street, then called Brown's Lane at its Harvard Street end. Francis Buttrick acquired lots on both streets in 1863 and 1864 and apparently moved the house around the corner to its present site. It appears always to have been a rental property, home to tenants such as a milkman, a painter, a produce dealer and a peddler. Its features include a pedimented attic, full entablature, a two-story portico of fluted Doric columns (one now missing), full-length windows and pedimented window heads and door surround. Wood shingle siding was added in the early twentieth century. An Italianate barn at the rear has become a residence. The house is valued for its architecture and for showing how this neighborhood developed to house workers and small businessmen.
Significance in brief: It is one of only four surviving temple-front Greek Revival houses in Waltham, and its Greek detailing is considered the most correct of the four. It also illustrates the mid-to-late 19th century development of the central Main Street area as a home for workers, small businessmen and factory owners.
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 89001566, listed September 28, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 44 Harvard St., Waltham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 28, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001566 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival (temple-front) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as fair; the building is in present use as multi-family residential, and the rear barn has been converted to a residence. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.37448, -71.24339 (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 89001566.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5480387
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.