Bloomingdale Firehouse
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Why it's listed
Built in 1894-1895 at 267 Plantation Street, the Bloomingdale Fire House is a municipal fire station in Worcester, Massachusetts. Worcester grew from 58,291 residents in 1880 to 118,421 in 1900, and the City built many new fire houses to protect newly developed residential neighborhoods. This one was designed by local architect George Clemence, who designed several others, and was built by W. F. Dearborn and Sons on land donated by William Putnam. The contract cost about $12,138, paid in 1895 and 1896. The two-and-one-half-storey building has mottled buff brick walls, a high slate-covered hip roof, and a square tower on the south side rising to an open belfry and turret. Two engine doors with low arches and limestone keystones mark the facade, with tripartite windows in limestone surrounds above. It remains unaltered, still serves as a fire house, and is an important visual element of its neighborhood.
Significance in brief: It represents the City's late nineteenth-century building of fire houses to protect new residential areas as Worcester's population roughly doubled between 1880 and 1900. It is one of several fire houses designed by architect George Clemence and survives unaltered. It is also an important visual part of its neighborhood.
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 80000593, listed March 5, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 676 Franklin St., Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | March 5, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000593 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | George Clemence (architect); W. F. Dearborn and Sons (contractors) |
| Architectural style | Elements of Classical and Queen Anne styles |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a fire house and described as unaltered; owned by the City of Worcester. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.26732, -71.77367 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 80000593.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4928313
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.