AUG 2 11989 j^^S

FORM B - BUILDING

MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 80 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON, MA 02116

REGioTER

Photo (3"x3" or S-xS", black and white) Indicate address of property on back of photo. Staple to left side of form.

Sketch Map: Draw map showing property's location in relation to nearest cross streets and/or geographical features. Indicate all buildings between inventoried property andnearest

AREA FORM NO.

34 WALTHAM, MA MRA

Town Waltham, MA

Address 74 Rumford Ave.

Historic Name O'Hara Waltham Dial Co.

Use: Present industrial

Original same

DESCRIPTION

Date 1897

Source Sanderson

Style late 19th c. brick industrial

Architect nrknown

Exterior Wall Fabric brick

Outbuildings none —

Major Alterati ons (with dates) towers

added c. earlv 1900's. north segment built(cl940) see reverse Condition good

Moved no Date n/a —

Works ot the O'Hara Wahhain Dial Company.

UTM REFERENCE /^/^/57Z^n /^/.^Z^m

USGS QUADRANGLE AlEWJmM

SCALE r-zs.Dnn

Acreage l i ^ - q - |3 '-^ ^-57.225 sq . f t .

Setting Faces industrial area, w/turn of

century residential area to the north rear

vail overlooks Cram's Cove

Recorded by Edward W. Gordon

Organization Waltham Historical Comm.

Date August 1986

revised by C. Jenkins

NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA STATEMENT ( i f applicable) The O'Hara Waltham Dial Co. occupies an important place withi n Waltham's remarkable collection of 19th century watch manufacturing related buildings.Founded i n Waltham i n 1897 by Daniel O'Hara of Cincinnati, Ohio, i t s well-crafted brick plant at 74 Rumford Ave. was b u i l t i n 1897. I t was the only company i n Waltham devoted exclusively to making plain and hand-decorated watch dials as well as a wide range of precision work on glass, ^namel, china and porcelain. The O'Hara Waltham Dial Co. possesses i n t e g r i t y of location, design ( p a r t i a l ) , s e t t i n g , materials, workmanship, feeling and association, and meets I r i t e r i a A and C of the National Register of Historic Places.

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE Describe important architectural features and evaluate in terms of other buildings within the cointiunity. #74 Rumford Ave. i s a somewhat altered example of a l a t e 19th century bri c k i n d u s t r i a l building. Essentially L-shaped i n plan, the 3-story structure features d i s t i n c t i v e panel brick corner towers. In general i t s main facade exhibits brickwork piers which extend from ground le v e l to j u s t above the second story. The 5-bay segment to the north of the southwest corner tower exhibits a center entrance set w i t h i n a graceful arch. I n general windows contain multipane wood sash and exhibit header brick l i n t e l s . This building was o r i g i n a l l y enclosed by broad gable roofs—as indicated on the 1898 Bird's-eye-view ijap. Evidently the low, 1-story segment abutting the cove-side wall also had a gable roof, '/his plant's d i s t i n c t i v e panelled corner, towers were added at some point a f t e r 1900, with the easternmost added f i r s t . Later and non-contributing additions include the one-story, s)ix-bay, brick west wing, rear wood she'ds, and mid-20th century replacement sash at the second story.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE Explain the role owners played in local or state history and how the :, building relates to the development of the community. The O'Hara Waltham Dial Co. was one of the l a t e 19th c. "spin-off" companies from the American Watch Co. I t was founded by former A.W. Co. employees Edwin D. Wetherbee and Daniel O'Hara. The former had been a watch d i a l maker while the l a t t e r had made s o l i d gold watch cases. Wetherbee was born i n Hanover, N.H. i n 1857 and came to Waltham about 1878. He began to make watch 'ials on Moody St., but on the north side of the r i v e r . Daniel 0 Hara

' was born i n Newport, Kentucky and i n i t i a l l y worked for the Duhme Jewelery Co., across the Ohio River i n Cincinnati. He came to Waltham i n 1881. Wetherbee and O'Hara i n i t i a l l y set up shop on Bedford St., Waltham and operated under the name Waltham Dial Co. Eventually Wetherbee dropped out of the business and t h i s company became known as O'Hara Waltham Dial Co. I t s brick plant was created i n 1897 on the eastern shores of "the Island," a peninsula which projects from the Newton shore.

Besides making p l a i n and decorated watch d i a l s , t h i s company made a great variety of enamel dials for gas, e l e c t r i c and water meters, number wheels for counting meters, and even buttons for p o l i t i c a l campaigns. I t was reported i n "Representative Businessmen of Waltham" (1893), t h a t ^ t h e i r (Wetherbee and O'Hara) business does not compete with or i n .any way injure that of such watch manufacturers as make t h e i r own d i a l s ; i t i s a d i s t i n c t l i n e i n i t s e l f , requiring a special .plant, special manipulation and special a b i l i t y and tr a i n i n g " etc. _

(cont)

BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES " Maps~1874, 1886, 1898, 1911, 1915 "Representative Businessmen of Waltham"—.893 W.P.L. Collection , Nancy Seymour—"The Emergence of Waltham's South Side, from the Seventeenth Century to

the Mid-Twentieth." . • E.L. Sanderson—Waltham Industries—1957

8/85 •

INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET

MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston

Canrmjnity: Form No:

34 Property Name: / ^ ^ ^

Indicate each item on inventory form v^iidi is being continued below.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE (cont'd)

Mr. O'Hara died i n November 1912. Mr. Wetherbee died i n January, 1913. On January 14, 1913, the O'Hara V7altham Dial Co. was incorporated under the name of O'Hara Waltham Dial Co., with Arthur Lyman president, Charles F. Stone, treasurer and Clarence F. French, Secretary

The O'Hara Dial Co. experienced economic d i f f i c u l t i e s during the Depression. During World War I t h i s f i r m reached i t s peak employment f i g u r e , about 2000. By the late 1950's the f i r m closed i t s doors, and the factory was taken over by Eagle Signal Corp., makers of t r a f f i c signals headquartered i n Moline, 111. Currently the building i s owned by a luggage and canvas product manufacturer. Pantos Canvas Corp. "The Island"'s Crescent Park was opened to housing and i n d u s t r i a l development i n 1890. In addition to the O'Hara Waltham Dial Co., canal and bicycle builders found t h i s location congenial too—Crescent Park had been the property of Stephen Cram u n t i l 1872—Cram i s seen to have kept several piggeries on "the Island".

REPRESENTATIVE BUSI^'ESSJrEN_OF_^^;ALT^^ 2^

- ^ H A M DIAL CO., Dials and En--^ed o ; ^ Mass.-Thc enterprise pJnV<i to Order in any Quantity ; Fine \Wt^^^^ it i,,.vinK been

S . r a . n . . > t . an t u. the ^ S ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

the san.e; and J ^ ' S ' J ' i ,^ ; ;^^^ enibmcin,' all the tools " ' T H ' ' u n n f i r S i s kuo.n^to modern dial makers and enan,el " w i in ?hi^Tuntrv and Europe. Their facilitie.. for the n.anu-^vork(•rs in this ^ou"trv anu i description are snu-iactare of di^s of the most in.proved

pet€ ^rith nor iu any ay injure that of J ^ ^ ' ^ ^ a n d special ability and tram-distinct line in itself, requirm? a special '^I'^J^^^ "^J-J;^^^^ as a verr valuable assi.stunt; in?, and it has been welcomed by the '^.^"B incmbers of U,^^^ ^^^^^^ ^.^^

the company supplying some --^<^l>,f ^^Xuho^'^h a s ^ ^ ^^ manufacture of fine dials for their high grade movements. .^^^.^^^^-^^yXTe V i t l i other departments of the business, watch dials, this work is by no means al o^ed o ^^ I ^ i and persons experimenting on novelties J" C'^^' \ j^^ists and specialists employed painting and " firing," can have tl'^^'-^^^^f^SSs ^Jd LlSatTons for borologic-U, optical, chcm-y-he company. Orders lor fine scales, °^"1^';°^^^'"^^^ in fact, anv kind of work on glass, t , electrical, surgical and ^^^Vorn.'^^^V^l'^^^^^^^ eiTamcl, china and porcelain requiring accuracy ana P^^^ O'Hara, is a native of Cincm-at n.od;rate rates. The proprietor ^rP^^ ^ ^ ^VJ ^ ^ ^ enamel business. He gives the rati. Ohio, and has bad long and varied f P«"«°^^ supervision, and is evidenUy determined to »auy departments of the enterprise ..^^^^^^ ^ ^ ^ Z l t ^ L l n M i e sUndard of excellence, spare neither trouble nor expense in keeping i t at the ui^uebt

Staple to Inventory form at bottom

INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET

MASSACHJSETTS HISTORICAL CCM^SSION Office of the Secretary, Boston

Community: Form No:

Property Name: Q'Ha>-'Sl J^i'i^ Co -7 A RLt^f=eri_n A ^ .

Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below.

m w IS m

m M

f r r > v i : / ? f 9 B i ^ d ^ B r - f U/<Li<J ^ S f / ^ 5 ' /

S t a p l e t o I n v e n t o r y fo rm at b o t t om

aus tffimtl Mo. 1024^1$

United States Department of the interior National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet

AUG 2 I 1989

Section number Page

Multiple Resource Area Thematic Group

Name State"

Waltham MRA Middlesex County, MASSACHUSETTS

Nomination/Type of Review

61. Mount Feaks Cemetery HatioMtl Beglst** VWeper X^^^^-t^^^;^^ fA-^^/^^f

Date/Signature

Attest

£. ^ £- 62. Mt. Prospect School for Boys ^^p-^eeper SubataatlT« Bevie^-^

Entered In tbe 63. Murray, Robert, House Hatloiia-l MeEisteC

Attest

j ^ e r

Attest

Cell 64. Newton Street Bridge Substantive Bevie».^^Keeper

Attest

65. North Lexington Street Hi s t o r i c D i s t r i c t ,c7*^per ^tered m the I National fie^iatw, Attest

66. O'Hara Waltham Dial Company sintered l a th© I iUatioiial fieglatar Attest

67. Olcott, John E., House J n+e'-fli l a the rV-iLeeper

iiatioaaJ. fieglster i Attest

y^^Rgeper-^-y^Z^^--^^-.^^ '^/uy^j

68. Oxford, The

69. Peck, John M., House

Sntered In tha National Regiatar

Attest

C y U / l Q . P i e t y Corner H i s t o r i c D i s t r i c t

At tes t_

/ ^ W ^ Keeper

A t t e s t I

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET

REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION

PROPERTY O'Hara Waltham Dial Company NAME:

MULTIPLE Waltham MRA NAME:

STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Middlesex

DATE RECEIVED: 8/21/89 DATE OF PENDING LIST: 9/05/89 DATE OF 16TH DAY: 9/21/89 DATE OF 45TH DAY: 10/05/89 DATE OF WEEKLY LIST:

REFERENCE NUMBER: 89001533

NOMINATOR: STATE

REASONS FOR REVIEW:

APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: N OTHER: N PDIL: N PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: N REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: N

COMMENT WAIVER: N / /

U^CEPT RETURN REJECT f M ^ / ^ f DATE ^^^-^^d in the ^/ ' ' Hatlonal Begister

ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS:

RECOM./CRITERIA_ REVIEWER DISCIPLINE DATE

DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N

CLASSIFICATION

count resource type

STATE/FEDERAL AGENCY CERTIFICATION

FUNCTION

historic current

DESCRIPTION

architectural classification materials 'descriptive text

SIGNIFICANCE

Period Areas of Significance—Check and ju s t i f y below

Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph)

summary paragraph completeness cl a r i t y » applicable c r i t e r i a j u s t i f i c a t i o n of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance ju s t i f i c a t i o n of exception , < -other

BIBLIOGRAPHY

GEOGRAPHICAL DATA

acreage ^verbal boundary description UTMs boundary ju s t i f i c a t i o n

ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION/PRESENTATION

sketch maps USGS maps photographs presentation

OTHER COMMENTS

Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to

Phone

Signed Date

WALTHAM, MA MR.

O'Hara Waltham Dial Co. s54 74 Rumford Ave. 1'"= 100' 1975; updated to 19S7 Waltham Engineering Dept.

l o t #76-9-13

Please refer to the map in the

Multiple Property Cover Sheet

for this property

Multiple Property Cover Sheet Reference Number: 64000301