Wetherbee House
Why it's listed
Built in 1892 at 357 Crescent Street, this Queen Anne house overlooks the Charles River and belongs to a street of well-preserved Queen Anne homes. Its irregular plan includes projecting porches, bays, oriels and conically capped corner towers, one with a four-bay loggia, slate shingles and a copper finial. The walls alternate clapboards with patterned shingles, and stick work and a lunette window form a sunburst motif. The front porch has paneled chamfered posts and medallions, and the original double doors are flanked by arched windows with colored stained glass fanlights. Deed and water department records show Frank W. Wetherbee bought the property in April 1892. He was a foreman in the dial department of the American Waltham Watch Company and lived here until at least 1915. The house is valued as a domestic reflection of the watch company's prosperity and as a well-detailed, well-preserved example of its style. It remains a residence with its original character largely intact.
Significance in brief: The house is described as one of the most elaborate examples of Queen Anne architecture in Waltham, with an irregular plan, conical-capped towers, a richly ornamented porch and stained glass. It also reflects the development of Waltham's South Side by the American Waltham Watch Company, since its original owner was a foreman there. It meets criteria A and C.
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 89001575, listed September 28, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 357 Crescent St., Waltham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 28, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001575 |
| 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, with no major alterations; in present residential use. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.36218, -71.24162 (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 89001575.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7990074
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.