{"nrhp_refnum":"80000627","name":"Dowley-Taylor House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"770 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Worcester","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.25687673900006,"lon":-71.81054585799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-03-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-storey Greek Revival frame mansion at 770 Main Street, Worcester, Massachusetts, completed in 1842 to designs by Elias Carter for leather merchant Levi A. Dowley. It was moved to its present site in 1853.","why_significant":"It is described as the best-preserved example of the many elaborate Greek Revival mansions built in Worcester from the late 1820s to the late 1840s, of which fewer than six remain. It is characteristic of Elias Carter's Worcester designs, with a two-storey Corinthian portico, hip roof and cupola. It is also tied to local figures including Ethan Allen and real estate developer Ransom C. Taylor.","narrative":"Built in 1842 on Main Street in Worcester, this two-storey clapboard mansion was designed by architect Elias Carter for Levi Dowley, a leather merchant. It is a Greek Revival house with a symmetrical facade, a two-storey Corinthian portico, a hip roof and an octagonal cupola ringed by a circular porch on columns. Fewer than six of Worcester's many elaborate Greek Revival mansions from the late 1820s to late 1840s survive, and this is described as the best preserved. Dowley lost his fortune in 1847 and sold the house to gun manufacturer Ethan Allen, who in 1853 sold the original site for commercial use and moved the house south of the business district to its present location. Later occupants included Jonathan Grout and Dr. Frank Kelley, a one-time mayor. Ransom C. Taylor, a local real estate developer, bought it in 1882. Worcester Junior College converted it to classrooms in 1957. Alterations have been minor, including removal of the parapet and replacement of sash around 1900.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Elias Carter","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Converted to classroom use by Worcester Junior College in 1957; the form lists the present use as school/offices.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.194888-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/31/7929/63792931/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/80000627.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000627/98a61bf0bc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000627/98a61bf0bc-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Pvmoutside","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dowley-Taylor_House_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:Dowley-Taylor_House_Worcester_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792931","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dowley-Taylor_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5302741"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/dowley-taylor-house-80000627/"}