Hammond, Jonathan, House
Why it's listed
Set at the head of Linden Street on the north side of Beaver Street in Waltham, this house was built around 1785 by Jonathan Hammond on land his family had held since 1650. It is a late Georgian/Federal dwelling with a boxy form, a hip roof, a massive brick center chimney and a five-bay facade. The projecting enclosed entrance has sidelights and paired Doric pilasters, and the windows hold 6/6 wood sash. Aluminum siding covers the original clapboards, and later ells and a 1980 entrance porch were added. After the Hammonds, the property passed to Theodore Lyman and later to the Warren family, who used it as a foreman's home as part of their large estate. Cornelia Warren kept a kindergarten in one room around 1900 to 1902. The house is now used by Bentley College for continuing education. It is considered one of Waltham's few substantial late 18th-century houses and keeps much of its rustic setting.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a rare Waltham example of a substantial late 18th-century Georgian house. It is also tied to the Hammond, Lyman and Warren families, and so to the city's agricultural, estate and institutional history. It is judged to retain integrity of location, design, materials, setting, workmanship, feeling and association.
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 89001491, listed September 28, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 311 Beaver St., Waltham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 28, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001491 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect unknown; built by Jonathan Hammond |
| Architectural style | Georgian (late Georgian/Federal) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition good; the house contains Bentley College's Center for Continuing Education. Institutional present use. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 42.38501, -71.21619 (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 89001491.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14715648
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.