West Brookfield Center Historic District (Boundary Increase)

This addition to the West Brookfield Center Historic District covers the area just south of the town center, between Lake Wickaboag, Coy's Brook and the Quaboag River. It grew after the Western Railroad arrived in 1839 and as local industry expanded in the second half of the 19th century. Railroad buildings anchor the area: an 1847 Gothic Revival passenger depot moved to Ware Street in 1884, an 1847 brick freight house still on its original site, an 1884 Richardsonian Romanesque depot of granite and brownstone designed by E. C. Gardner, and a 1955 steel overpass bridge reused from another location. Small factories and shops clustered near the tracks, and the history of the area includes boot, heel and corset manufacturing. Most buildings, however, are modest mid-to-late 19th century houses on tree-lined streets, built for middle- and working-class families. The district includes 58 contributing and 25 noncontributing resources, and its character reflects the town's railroad-era growth.