National Register of Historic Places

Building at 38-42 Worcester Street

Southbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts
Listed
June 21, 1989
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
89000589

About this property

The Building at 38–42 Worcester Street is a historic six-unit triple decker in Southbridge, Massachusetts. Built sometime between 1878 and 1898, it has features influenced by the area's then-growing French Canadian immigrant population, including its outside porches. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. 38–42 Worcester Street is located in the area north of downtown Southbridge known as "The Flats", which was heavily developed beginning in the late 1880s with densely built worker housing. It is a three-story wood frame structure, with a low-pitch roof that extends over a porch that extends across the front and halfway down each side. The porch is accessed via front-facing stairs at either end, and shelters outside stairs that provide access to each of the building's six units. This type of porch is found in other buildings of Southbridge that were built by or for French Canadian immigrants. The original porch had turned posts that gave it a lacy Victorian appearance, a detail that has since been lost. The house was built sometime between 1878 and 1898, when development of The Flats was begun to provide additional housing for workers at the American Optical Company, one of Southbridge's leading employers. By 1898 the area had several clusters of closely built three-deckers, of which this was one. In the early years of the 20th century, the area was developed more intensively, filling in the gaps with more three-deckers. Of the ones built during the first phase of development, this one is the best preserved. National Register of Historic Places listings in Southbridge, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places listings in Worcester County, Massachusetts

Location

38--42 Worcester St.
Southbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts
42.07969, -72.02927

Categories

INDUSTRYARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Sumner, George, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Sacred Heart Church Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Twinehurst American Optical Company Neighborhood
Listed
0.2 mi
Central Mills Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi
St. George's Greek Orthodox Church
Industrial
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Building at 38-42 Worcester Street listed on the National Register?

Building at 38-42 Worcester Street was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 21, 1989.

What type of historic resource is Building at 38-42 Worcester Street?

Building at 38-42 Worcester Street is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Building at 38-42 Worcester Street?

The period of significance for Building at 38-42 Worcester Street is recorded as the industrial era.

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