About this property
The Harold D. Donohue Federal Building and United States Courthouse, formerly known as the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, is a courthouse of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts located in Worcester, Massachusetts. Established in 1722, Worcester remained a relatively small but prosperous village until the 1835 construction of the Boston & Worcester Railroad. The railroad established the town as an important commercial and industrial hub, and businesses burgeoned. In 1848, as a result of rapid growth, Worcester was incorporated as a city. The earliest postal facilities in Worcester were located in postmasters' homes. In 1897, a post office was constructed on the site of the present building. As Worcester expanded in the twentieth century, it needed a courthouse and federal office space in addition to a larger post office building. Officials decided to construct a single building to meet all of those needs. Disputes arose over the selection of a site that was appropriate for a prominent federal building yet situated in a convenient location within the commercial district. Ultimately, the 1897 post office building was demolished and the site utilized for the current building, which would house the first and only presence of the United States District Court in Worcester. The present building was constructed from 1930 to 1931 with funding made available through the Public Buildings Act of 1926. The design was approved by Louis A. Simon in the Office of the Supervising Architect under James A. Wetmore. The Murch Brothers Construction Company of St. Louis, Missouri, completed the construction for a cost of $670,000 plus an additional $37,747 for the installation of Otis Elevation Company elevators. The building officially opened in January 1932. In 1987, the building was renamed for Harold D. Donohue, a U.S. Representative and World War II veteran who served in the House from 1947 to 1974. Federal Square, which fronts the northeast elevation of the building, was constructed in 1991. In 1993, the U.S. Post Office left the building and the interior space was reconfigured to accommodate the needs of the court. The building was a regional winner and finalist in the Building Owners and Managers Association's The Office Building of the Year (TOBY) Award for 1996 to 1997. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. The structure is located on a triangular lot in the southern end of the commercial district in Worcester. It is bounded by Main, Myrtle, and Southbridge streets and is adjacent to Federal Square. The five-story building is a blend of the Classical and Renaissance Revival styles of architecture. The building's design conveys the dignity and stability of the federal government, which was particularly important during the Great Depression.
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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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Questions about this property
When was U.S. Post Office and Courthouse listed on the National Register?
U.S. Post Office and Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 7, 2011.
What type of historic resource is U.S. Post Office and Courthouse?
U.S. Post Office and Courthouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for U.S. Post Office and Courthouse?
The period of significance for U.S. Post Office and Courthouse is recorded as the industrial era.
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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 U.S. Post Office and Courthouse will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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