Sanderson, Nathan, II, House
Why it's listed
This house at 111 Lincoln Street in Waltham is a clapboard-clad, five-bay Greek Revival dwelling with a gable end facing the street and treated as a classical pediment. A four-column Doric porch with fluted columns spans the facade, and the center entrance is framed by full-length sidelights. Tradition holds that the building began as a 1½-story cottage built about 1698 by James Cutting on the Lyman Estate grounds. Around 1816 Nathan Sanderson II reportedly moved it to this site at the time of his marriage, added a second story, and turned the roof 90 degrees to create the wide-gable form. The result combines a traditional center-entrance plan with the newly popular gable-front orientation, a type most common in the Merrimack Valley and unique in Waltham. A blacksmith shop associated with the Sandersons once stood nearby, and family members occupied the house into the twentieth century. The house retains good integrity.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a unique architectural type in Waltham, a wide-gable Greek Revival house usually found in the Merrimack Valley, created by a c1816 remodeling of an older house. It meets criterion C, and the exception to criterion B for moved houses. It is also tied to the Sanderson family and a long-running blacksmith shop.
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 89001513, listed September 28, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 111 Lincoln St., Waltham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 28, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001513 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect unknown; reportedly built by James Cutting c1698 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is dwelling; condition described as good. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Coordinates | 42.39359, -71.24274 (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 89001513.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6969325
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.