Waltham High School
Why it's listed
Waltham High School, at 55 School Street, is a brick school with granite trim whose main block dates to 1901-1902. Wings were added to the east and west in 1935, and three flat-roofed additions followed around 1960, placed to the rear and joined by narrow walkways. The front facade has a projecting four-bay center pavilion with Ionic pilasters rising to a pedimented attic, flanked by wings with paired 12/12 windows and round-arched entrances. Architect Captain Samuel Patch, who served as the city's Superintendent of Public Buildings and Grounds, mixed Romanesque and Classical Revival details, even placing a Georgian Revival Palladian window in a Neoclassical pediment. Robert E. Glancy, a prolific local builder who specialized in schools, constructed it. The school was listed for its role in Waltham's turn-of-the-century municipal building program and for its architectural quality, and it retains the character of a substantial early twentieth-century school despite later additions.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is an important part of Waltham's turn-of-the-century municipal building campaign, designed by the city's Superintendent of Public Buildings and Grounds. It is also considered a distinguished work of architecture combining Romanesque and Classical Revival elements in a unified composition. The building is tied historically to architect Samuel Patch and builder Robert E. Glancy.
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 89001531, listed September 28, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 55 School St., Waltham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 28, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001531 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Samuel Patch, architect; Robert E. Glancey (also spelled Glancy), builder |
| Architectural style | Elements of Romanesque Revival and Neoclassical (Classical Revival) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is a high school; condition is described as good to excellent, with c1960 rear additions and altered replacement windows in the 1935 wings. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.37908, -71.23372 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 89001531.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q48836265
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.