Fuller-Bemis House
Why it's listed
Standing at 41-43 Cherry Street in Waltham, this clapboard farmhouse dates to about 1776, when the area was still part of Newton. It was probably built by Deacon Joseph Fuller of the Second Church of Newton. In 1814 the property, then 70 acres with a barn and potter's shop, passed to Seth Bemis, and the house was divided between occupants on its east and west sides around that time. It keeps a five-by-four bay Georgian profile, cornerboards, a molded cornice, plain window surrounds and an ashlar foundation. Nineteenth-century additions include a balustraded verandah and a double entry porch. Surrounded by closely spaced late 19th-century houses, it is the only Georgian farmhouse in its area and one of very few in the city. In 1854 the Waltham Improvement Company, later the American Watch Company, bought it with the rest of the Bemis Farm. A Watch Company employee owned it from 1882, and later tenants worked for the watch and clock company.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it one of a handful of surviving Georgian-period houses in Waltham and the only Georgian farmhouse in its neighborhood. It was probably built by Deacon Joseph Fuller when the area was part of Newton. From 1854 it was owned by the Waltham Improvement Company, later the American Watch Company, and tied to the city's watch industry. A federal reviewer later described it as a locally significant, relatively intact, rare surviving Federal-period residence.
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 89001495, listed March 9, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 119 Adams St., Waltham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | March 9, 1990 |
| Reference number | 89001495 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect unknown; probably built by Deacon Joseph Fuller |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as good; present use is residential, with a non-contributing garage. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.36706, -71.24082 (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 89001495.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5508234
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.