National Register of Historic Places

Rockdale Common Housing District

Northbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts
Listed
March 30, 1983
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
83000611

About this property

The Rockdale Common Housing District is a historic district at 4–20 McBride, 46–58 Plantation, and 37–42 Taft Sts. in Northbridge, Massachusetts, United States. The district is composed of a collection of tenement houses built from c. 1880 to 1920. They were built by members of the Whitin family, who owned most of the textile production capacity in Northbridge. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The village of Rockdale is one of the principal villages and former industrial centers in the central Massachusetts town of Northbridge. Its industrial history begins in 1814, but it did not become a successful industrial center until the 1860s, when the mill privilege was acquired by the Whitin family, a leading operator of textile mills in the Blackstone River valley. The Whitins attracted a reliable workforce by building housing, schools, and other community buildings for their workers. In the late 19th century an influx of French Canadians drawn to work at the mill in Rockdale prompted the company to build additional housing east of Taft Street. The historic district includes seven residential structures built by the Paul Whitin Company between about 1880 and 1920. They are located in a single square block, bounded by Mcbride, Plantation, and Taft Streets, and Church Avenue. Two long six-unit rowhouses stand on the east side of Taft Street, larger in form than earlier tenement houses built to the west; these were built about 1915. Facing McBride and Taft Streets are four triple decker apartment blocks, housing six or twelve units. Built c. 1917, these have notable Colonial Revival styling in their front porches and polygonal window bays. Lastly, one six-unit building with Italianate styling also faces Taft Street. The buildings continue to be used as low-income residential housing. National Register of Historic Places listings in Worcester County, Massachusetts

Location

4-20 McBride, 46-58 Plantation, and 37-42 Taft Sts.
Northbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts
42.15242, -71.64683

Categories

INDUSTRYCOMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTARCHITECTURE
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

Knowlton Hat Factory
Industrial
1.7 mi
Farnumsville Historic District
Listed
2.5 mi
Whitinsville Historic District
Listed
2.9 mi
Fisherville Historic District
Listed
3 mi
US Post Office-Whitinsville Main
Industrial
3 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Nipsachuck Swamp
1676Colonial
10.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Rockdale Common Housing District listed on the National Register?

Rockdale Common Housing District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 30, 1983.

What type of historic resource is Rockdale Common Housing District?

Rockdale Common Housing District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Rockdale Common Housing District?

The period of significance for Rockdale Common Housing District is recorded as the listed era.

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