Fisher, Henry N., House
Why it's listed
Built between 1881 and 1886 at 120 Crescent Street in Waltham, this Queen Anne house sits on a large corner lot with a well-kept side lawn. Its irregular plan, octagonal bay and gable roof with return eaves are joined by an encircling verandah with turned posts, Chinese lattice railings, spool work transom and a sunburst motif at the porch pediment. Inside are marble fireplaces, cornice moldings and fine woodwork, including parlor doors that may be tiger maple. A one-story bow-front dining room was added in the early 1900s. The house was the home of Henry N. Fisher, born in New Hampshire in 1844, a Civil War veteran wounded in 1862, foreman at the American Watch Co., bank president and four-term mayor of Waltham from 1885 to 1889. The property also reflects the growth of Waltham's South Side, laid out by the Waltham Improvement Co., where Crescent Street filled with houses of watch company executives and foremen.
Significance in brief: The house is part of Crescent Street's collection of well-crafted Victorian houses and shows the South Side's development by the Waltham Improvement Co. It is also tied to Henry N. Fisher, a watch company foreman, bank president and mayor of Waltham.
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 89001577, listed September 28, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 120 Crescent St., Waltham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 28, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001577 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Community Planning and Development, Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as excellent; present use is a private residence. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 42.36939, -71.24127 (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 89001577.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5726211
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.