{"nrhp_refnum":"00001343","name":"Worcester Bleach and Dye Works","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"60 Fremont St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Worcester","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.241586065000035,"lon":-71.81713791799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-11-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Industry","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An industrial complex at 60 Fremont Street in Worcester, Massachusetts, made up of two brick factory buildings joined by a stucco-covered wood section. The earliest part was built about 1909 for the Worcester Bleach and Dye Works Company, with additions to 1922 and 1933.","why_significant":"It is significant under Criterion A as the early 20th century plant of the longest-lived and most successful thread company in Worcester, and for its pioneering role in developing the Webster Square area for industry. Under Criterion C it is a characteristic example of the city's early 20th century industrial architecture. Later companies, including Economic Machinery Corporation (1944-1966), also used the complex.","narrative":"Worcester Bleach and Dye Works at 60 Fremont Street is a brick factory complex in the Webster Square area of southern Worcester. Its front building, begun about 1909, is a two-story structure with massive red brick walls, segmented-arched windows and a granite-framed, round-arched Classical entrance. A three-story brick building and a stucco-covered wood section complete the complex. The company bleached, dyed and mercerized cotton yarns and produced thread, and was regarded as one of the best thread dye houses in the country. Its roots reach back to the Springside Dye Works of 1865, and its 1888 wooden factory across the street helped open Webster Square to industry. After the firm left about 1938, other manufacturers occupied the buildings, including Economic Machinery Corporation from 1944 to 1966. The complex was listed for its role in Worcester's industrial history and as a typical example of the city's early 20th century factory architecture. Renovations in 1986 altered windows, doors and the roof cornice.","period_of_significance":"1909-1950","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late 19th - Early 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The complex still has an industrial function. A 1986 renovation replaced the windows and doors, removed the cornice and stuccoed the wood section, and the original Fremont Street entrance is no longer used.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.863575-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/42/7974/63797442/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/00001343.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001343/d7764d7209-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001343/d7764d7209-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Pvmoutside","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Worcester_Bleach_and_Dye_Works_Worcester_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Pvmoutside</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Worcester_Bleach_and_Dye_Works_Worcester_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797442","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worcester_Bleach_and_Dye_Works","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8034146"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/worcester-bleach-and-dye-works-00001343/"}