Crystal Street Historic District

Three nearly identical three-deckers at 30, 32 and 34 Crystal Street form a compact row on a hillslope overlooking University Park in Worcester. Built around 1892, they are Queen Anne style houses with side-hall plans, asymmetrical facades, small gabled entry porticos, conical-capped corner turrets, wood clapboard, cut shingle bands and bracketed cornices. Two modern garages are also within the district. The row appears to have been developed by James Harrop, who lived at 30 Crystal Street and owned all three houses for over 35 years. Tenants were skilled blue-collar and white-collar workers, including machinists, foremen, weavers and a bookkeeper, many employed in factories along the nearby railroad corridor. Electric streetcar service on Main Street made the neighborhood convenient for downtown commuters. The district was listed for its architecture and for its link to the area's late 19th-century growth, and it is regarded as one of the best-preserved rows of 19th-century three-deckers in the city.