{"nrhp_refnum":"84000097","name":"Worcester Corset Company Factory","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"30 Wyman St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Worcester","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.24910639500007,"lon":-71.81892733599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-10-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick, U-shaped factory complex at 30 Wyman Street in Worcester, Massachusetts, bounded by Wyman, Hollis and Grand Streets. It was built in two phases between about 1895 and 1909 for the Worcester Corset Company, designed by Arthur F. Gray of Boston.","why_significant":"The factory is tied to Worcester's rapid economic growth in the early 20th century, when the corset company was one of the city's major industries. It is also presented as a well-preserved example of late 19th-century New England industrial construction, with thick masonry bearing walls, recessed window bays, towers and open interior floors. It retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship.","narrative":"Rising four to five stories around a central courtyard, this brick factory at 30 Wyman Street in Worcester was built in two stages, about 1895 and about 1906, for the Worcester Corset Company. Boston architect Arthur F. Gray designed it and the Norcross Brothers built it. Its Romanesque Revival details include corbelled brick cornices, round-arched top-floor windows, and three square towers with pyramidal roofs covered in Spanish tile. The towers hold the main entrances. Inside, the open floor plan and heavy decking reflect its industrial purpose. The company grew from a hoop-skirt business founded in 1861 by David Hale Fanning and at its peak employed more than 2,000 people, making it one of the city's major industries. After the corset business failed in the early 1940s, a shoe company leased the complex until 1983. The building was listed for its link to Worcester's economic growth and as a well-preserved example of New England factory construction.","period_of_significance":"1895-1909","architect_builder":"Architect Arthur F. Gray of Boston; built by Norcross Brothers","architectural_style":"Utilitarian Romanesque Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Leased to a shoe manufacturer from the 1940s until 1983. A 1984 city letter says the owners intended to rehabilitate it into 158 units of market-rate housing.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.267714-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/75/7935/63793575/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84000097.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84000097/1590748fde-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84000097/1590748fde-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Worcester_Corset_Factory.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Worcester_Corset_Factory.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793575","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worcester_Corset_Company_Factory","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8034158"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/worcester-corset-company-factory-84000097/"}