National Register of Historic Places

Mechanics' Hall District

Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts
Listed
March 5, 1980
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
80000577

About this property

The Mechanics' Hall District is a historic district encompassing a city block of downtown Worcester, Massachusetts, United States that preserves its late 19th-century appearance. It is located on Main Street between Exchange and Foster Streets, and includes the Worcester Five Cents Savings Bank building and Mechanics Hall. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The Mechanics' Hall District is located on the north side of Worcester's downtown, west of the DCU Center and north of City Hall. It consists of eight buildings on both sides of Main Street, between Exchange and Foster Streets to the east, and Sudbury and Maple Streets to the west. The eponymous Mechanics Hall is located roughly in the center of the east side of this area; it is an Italianate structure built in 1857 to a design by Worcester architect Elbridge Boyden, and is one of the city's cultural centers. To its north is the large Central Exchange Building, constructed in 1895-96 with later Renaissance Revival styling. South of Mechanics Hall is a vacant lot, beyond which is the Burnside Building, built in 1886-87 to a design by Boston architects Bradlee, Winslow & Wetherell. The block opposite Mechanics Hall is taken up by five buildings, all of which are historically significant. The northern end is anchored by the Flagg Building (1854), one of the city's best-preserved Italianate office buildings, with the 1897-1906 Day Building adjacent. South of these is the 1891 Worcester Five Cents Savings Bank building, designed by Worcester architect Stephen Earle, and the 1925 Classical Revival Central Building. The district's southern end is the former State Street Mutual building, built in 1894-97; it is considered to be the city's first formal skyscraper, with a steel frame and Romanesque exterior. A much larger stretch of Worcester's Main Street was one lined with a series of connected commercial buildings similar to this block. Urban renewal has taken its toll on the larger area, and this block is now one of the few that retains a significant concentration of high quality late 19th-century architecture. National Register of Historic Places listings in northwestern Worcester, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places listings in Worcester County, Massachusetts

Location

Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts
42.26583, -71.80161

Categories

COMMERCEARCHITECTURE
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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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Notable People
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Literature
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Nearby Historic Sites

Worcester Five Cents Savings Bank
Industrial
0 mi
Mechanics Hall
Civil War
0 mi
Day Building
Industrial
0 mi
WCIS Bank
Early Republic
0.1 mi
Old State Mutual Building
Industrial
0.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Mechanics' Hall District listed on the National Register?

Mechanics' Hall District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Mechanics' Hall District?

Mechanics' Hall District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Mechanics' Hall District?

The period of significance for Mechanics' Hall District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Mechanics' Hall District?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Mechanics' Hall District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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