Wellington, Benjamin, House
Why it's listed
Built around 1810, this Federal-style house at 56 Whittier Street in Waltham is the core of an early 19th-century farm on Trapelo Road. It is a substantial five-bay by three-bay block with shingle and brick walls, and it is one of the city's few "brickender" Federal houses. It is the only one in Waltham with twin-linked chimneys at each end. A fluted Tuscan-columned porch with slatwork railings wraps the south and east sides. A two-story gabled ell on the northeast corner appears to date from the late 19th century, and a modern addition sits at the northwest corner. The farm was the most westerly of the old Trapelo estates. It passed from the Fiske family to the Bridges, then to Deacon Isaac Stern and his descendants, and finally to Benjamin Wellington through his wife Mary. It stayed in the Wellington family until the early 20th century, when a dairy farm operated there. The land was subdivided for suburban housing after World War II. The house is valued for its design and its farming and family associations.
Significance in brief: The form argues the house is the nucleus of an early 19th-century Trapelo Road farm and one of Waltham's very few "brickender" Federal houses. It is the only brickender in the city with twin-linked chimneys at each end. It is also tied to the Wellington family, prominent in 18th- and 19th-century Waltham history, and to the city's agricultural history.
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 89001523, listed September 28, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 56 Whittier St., Waltham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 28, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001523 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| 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 residential, the same as its original use. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.41342, -71.24138 (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 89001523.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4889368
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.