Built sometime between 1875 and 1878, the James Abbott House, on First Avenue in Waterbury, is transitional in style between High Victorian Gothic and Queen Anne. It was built for James M. Abbott of Holmes, Booth & Haydens, a brass and copper manufacturing company that was the first to produce silver plates for making daguerreotypes. As mentioned in Waterbury and Her Industries (1889), Abbot “was treasurer from 1867 to 1869, when A. S. Chase was elected president and treasurer, and Mr. Abbott was made secretary, a position he held for many years.” At the turn-of-the-century, the house was owned by George Rockwell. According to the History of Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley, Volume 3 (1918):
Rogers & Brother became members of the International Silver Company at the time of its organization, in the year 1898, and the business at Waterbury has remained under the management of George Rockwell, the former treasurer and manager of Rogers & Brother, and present director and secretary of the International Silver Company.
In the mid-twentieth century, the house was divided into four apartments.