Oakdale Village Historic District

Oakdale Village is a compact neighborhood of about 36 acres in northwestern West Boylston, Massachusetts, near the northern shore of Wachusett Reservoir. Its 71 buildings are mostly small to moderate wooden houses, one to two-and-a-half stories high, gathered around the Greek Revival Oakdale Methodist Church of 1858-59. Of these buildings, 43 contribute to the district's character and 28 do not. The oldest is the William Thomas House, built about 1780-1810. The district also includes three school buildings and a range of Greek Revival, Italianate, Gothic Revival and Queen Anne details. The village grew northward from a textile mill, and the houses were built largely for middle-class residents such as shoemakers, a glazier and a leather dealer. Much of the southern part of the village was demolished around 1900 for the reservoir, yet the remaining area preserves its density, scale and appearance from the early twentieth century. That architectural cohesion and its village history underlie its significance.