Colburn, Gilbert, House
Why it's listed
Located at 110-112 Crescent Street in Waltham, this double house dates to about 1870 and reflects the housing built for workers of the American Waltham Watch Company. The two-story Italianate building has a five-bay by two-bay main block, a granite foundation and a broad gable roof. Paired entrances sit beneath deep bracketed hoods with scroll brackets carved with a floral motif that also appears on other 1860s and 1870s houses nearby. Two-story octagonal bays flank the entrances. Unlike many neighboring houses of the period, it keeps its original clapboard siding and two-over-two windows. The lot was sold by the Watch Company in 1870 with deed restrictions limiting it to domestic use, and it passed to Gilbert Colburn two days after an earlier buyer purchased it. A later owner, William Colburn, worked for the company. The house is valued as a well-preserved example of a worker's house type usually found altered, and for its links to the South Side's growth.
Significance in brief: It is an essentially intact example of a post-Civil War Italianate double worker's house built for American Waltham Watch Company workers, a type usually found altered elsewhere on the south side. It keeps its original clapboard siding and 2/2 sash and has strong ties to the Watch Company's development of the South Side. The form says it meets 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 89001578, listed September 28, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 110--112 Crescent St., Waltham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 28, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001578 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as good; present use is a double residence, with no major alterations and not moved. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Coordinates | 42.36994, -71.24092 (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 89001578.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5560860
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.