Taunton Green Historic District
Why it's listed
Taunton Green and the buildings around it form the historic heart of Taunton, Massachusetts. The district covers about five acres and includes the city's main public park along with continuous rows of multi-story masonry commercial buildings on Main Street, Broadway and Court Street. The Green was granted to the town as a training field in 1743, and the first Liberty and Union flag was raised there in 1774. Federal-style stores and hotels from about 1830 stand beside the Renaissance Revival Bank Block of about 1855, the Union Block of 1860, the Jones and Taylor Blocks, the Crocker Building of 1900, and bank additions of 1893 and 1913. A Neoclassical post office built in 1931 replaced an earlier Romanesque one. A granite and iron fence from 1840-41 encloses the Green, which holds monuments to Shays' Rebellion and to several wars. The district was listed for its architecture and its link to Taunton's commercial and industrial growth.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | c. 1830-1930 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Federal through Classical Revival, including Renaissance Revival, Victorian Italianate, Neoclassical, Beaux Arts and Richardsonian Romanesque |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Taunton Green Historic District (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.