Holden Center Historic District

Holden's town center sits on a hill where Routes 122A and 31 meet, and it gathers eleven structures, a common and an old burial ground under mature oak, maple and sycamore trees. Buildings range from the c.1750 Red House, a saltbox farmhouse, to the 1887 Damon Memorial Building, a brown stone Richardsonian Romanesque structure designed by Worcester architect Stephen C. Earle as a gift to the town. It first housed the high school and library. The 1836 Town Hall, with its Doric portico, has served as the seat of local government ever since. The First Congregational Church of 1789 was moved to its present site in 1827, and the First Baptist Church dates from 1835. The common was a gift from Governor John Hancock in 1789. Across the street, a small commercial area includes the 1880 Old Post Office and the 1840s General Store. Together these buildings show the civic, religious and commercial heart of the community and its architectural consistency.