Irving Square Historic District
Why it's listed
Irving Square is a commercial district on the south side of the railroad tracks in South Framingham, Massachusetts. Its twenty-one buildings, mostly one to four story brick blocks built between 1880 and 1930, cluster around the wide intersection of Irving and Hollis Streets. The area grew because the Boston-Worcester railroad was routed through South Framingham in 1834, turning a small village into a busy rail junction. The Odd Fellows Block of 1876 was the first brick commercial block in town and shifted development away from the station toward the radiating streets. A building boom followed, producing structures such as the 1890 Tribune Building, which also housed town offices and town meetings until a town hall opened in 1927. Later additions include Classical Revival and Georgian Revival blocks, several designed by architect Charles M. Baker. The district is significant for its role in making South Framingham the town's center and for its representative commercial architecture. It remains in active use today.
Significance in brief: The district is tied to the growth of South Framingham as the commercial and civic center of the town after the railroad arrived in 1834. It also embodies late 19th and early 20th century commercial architecture of smaller urban communities, and it meets criteria A and C.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 82000491, listed November 30, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Irving Square, Waverly, South, Columbia, Irving, Gordon and Hollis Sts., Framingham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | November 30, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82000491 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1876-1938 |
| Architect / builder | Charles M. Baker |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival, Neo-Classical, Georgian Revival, Richardsonian Romanesque, Second Empire, Colonial Revival and Moderne commercial buildings |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The district remains in active use as a mid-size commercial district; some buildings were being rehabilitated at the time of nomination. |
| Acreage | 7.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.27594, -71.41656 (NPS GIS) |
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.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 82000491.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6074803
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.