Dow, Lenoir, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1888 at 215 Adams Street, this Queen Anne house belongs to the South Side building boom of the late 1880s and early 1890s in Waltham. Streets and house lots had been laid out west of Moody Street in 1854, but many lots stayed empty until the American Waltham Watch Company prospered and most nearby residents came to work for it. The house has an irregular plan, an encircling verandah with turned posts and spool work transom, original double doors, and a two-story octagonal bay with sawcut shingle detailing and a pointed-arch attic window. A slate-shingled hip roof carries cast iron cresting with a fleur de lis motif. Lenoir A. Dow, a machinist, and his wife Flora bought the land in 1888; later owners included Alvin S. Litchfield and, by 1927, carpenter Edwin S. Prescott. The house is valued as a well-preserved example of worker housing tied to the watch industry and of Queen Anne design.
Significance in brief: The house represents the South Side's residential development by the American Waltham Watch Company in the 19th century, which reflected the company's industrial prosperity. It is also one of a handful of well-detailed, well-preserved Queen Anne dwellings built for watch company employees. It is cited under 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 89001487, listed September 28, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 215 Adams St., Waltham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 28, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001487 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is a private residence; condition is described as good to excellent, with no major alterations and a non-contributing garage. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.36334, -71.24202 (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 89001487.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6523045
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.