Martin, Aaron, House
Why it's listed
Standing on a large corner lot on lower Moody Street near Crescent Street in Waltham, this two-story wood-frame house dates to the early 1890s and is still a dwelling. Its boxy hip-roofed form is hidden behind lively Queen Anne details: a front porch with cut gingerbread trim, an oriel with an incised floral window surround and dentils, three two-story bays divided by saw-cut shingle aprons, and an off-center tower with eyebrow windows and a bell-shaped roof. The house was built for Aaron Martin, a machinist with the American Waltham Watch Company, who appears in local directories at this address in 1893. It belongs to a small group of Queen Anne houses built for skilled watch company workers on the South Side, and it is one of the few not on Crescent Street and not covered with artificial siding. It is ranked among the best preserved domestic Queen Anne houses in the city.
Significance in brief: The house was built for Aaron Martin, a machinist at the American Waltham Watch Company and a real estate speculator, and reflects the company's development of Waltham's South Side in the later 19th century. It is also one of Waltham's fuller examples of the Queen Anne style and remains well preserved, without artificial siding.
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 89001540, listed September 28, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 786 Moody St., Waltham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 28, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001540 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as good; present use is a dwelling; no major alterations and no outbuildings. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.36269, -71.23848 (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 89001540.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4662244
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.