{"nrhp_refnum":"80000618","name":"East Worcester School-Norcross Factory","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"10 E. Worcester St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Worcester","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.26278320600005,"lon":-71.78995651799994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-03-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick building at 12 East Worcester Street, Worcester, Massachusetts, built in sections between 1863 and about 1893. It began as the East Worcester Grammar School and was expanded into the Norcross Brothers factory.","why_significant":"The 1863 schoolhouse is one of Worcester's oldest surviving school buildings and was designed by Elbridge Boyden & Son. The later additions housed the Norcross Brothers, nationally known builders who worked with Henry Hobson Richardson. The building reflects both the city's education and industrial history.","narrative":"Located at 12 East Worcester Street, this three-story brick building grew in stages between 1863 and about 1893. Its oldest section opened in 1863 as the East Worcester Grammar School, designed by Elbridge Boyden & Son and built by H.W. Eddy and Moses Taft for $11,706.25. The site had previously been the Pine Meadow Burial Ground, with the last graves removed in 1876. The school was reportedly modelled on the Salem Street Schoolhouse, then considered the city's best. Around 1880-1881 the Norcross Brothers, builders known for their work with Henry Hobson Richardson, built a planing mill next door. By 1893 they had bought the school, converted it to offices, and added structures linking it to the mill. The additions are common brick with flat roofs, corbelled cornices and sandstone trim. The firm made doors, window sash and finishing work here until 1918. The building is now commercial space.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Elbridge Boyden & Son (architect); H.W. Eddy and Moses Taft (builders of the 1863 schoolhouse)","architectural_style":"Utilitarian brick construction","criteria":[],"status_note":"Present use is commercial (Trade Center Building); used commercially since the mid 20th century.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:55.08012-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/95/7928/63792895/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/80000618.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000618/c9825b0ede-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000618/c9825b0ede-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:East_Worcester_School-Norcross_Factory,_Worcester_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</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:East_Worcester_School-Norcross_Factory,_Worcester_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792895","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norcross_Factory","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5329710"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/east-worcester-school-norcross-factory-80000618/"}