Bullard House
Also known as: Pollard Store; Woodward House
Why it's listed
Standing at the foot of Woodward Avenue in Berlin's historic town center, this long, side-gabled 2 1/2-story house grew out of a small two-story, single-room dwelling built around 1780, probably soon after the first meetinghouse. Within roughly a decade a larger west section was added, with an upstairs ballroom, and a rear leanto extended the original part. Deeds point to the Pollard brothers opening Berlin's first known store on the property before 1792, and the building later served as a tavern. Over the following centuries the Bullard family owned it for more than 120 years, and further leantos, a shed dormer and a fire-engine garage were added or removed. Federal-era trim, framing and an early door survive alongside Greek Revival and twentieth-century changes. The accumulated alterations document the variety of uses that took place inside. Today the house serves as a museum, and a former garage on the lot stores the town historical collection.
Significance in brief: The building is the first known residence near Berlin's meetinghouse and housed the town's first known store and an early tavern. Its multiple building phases record changing uses over time, including a store, tavern, library meeting place, dwelling, and fire-engine garage. It is also part of a cluster of historic resources at the town center.
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 11000664, listed September 15, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 4 Woodward Ave., Berlin |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | September 15, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000664 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Early Republic: Federal |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently used as a museum; a former garage on the property holds the town historical collection. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.38176, -71.63732 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 11000664.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4996681
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.