Cambridge Street Firehouse
Why it's listed
Built in 1886 at 526-534 Cambridge Street, this Queen Anne fire station was designed by Fuller and Delano to serve South Worcester. The two-story brick building has a three-story tower at its southeast corner and a one-story wing at the northeast corner. A slate-covered hip roof tops the rectangular main block. The north facade rises from a rock-faced granite base and holds a wide opening for two pairs of engine doors. Above them is a tripartite window with arched transoms, and a decorative gable with sandstone coping and finials is centered at the roofline. The rear tower has paired arched windows, a projecting brick cornice and a high hip roof. Apart from modern repainting, the building is unaltered. It is nearly identical to the Woodland Street Firehouse, also designed by Fuller and Delano in 1886. The station answered the needs of an area that grew quickly during the 1880s and 1890s, largely because of the expanding Whittall Carpet Mills. It is still a fire station.
Significance in brief: The firehouse is significant for its architecture and for community development. It was built to serve South Worcester, which grew rapidly in the 1880s and 1890s, largely because of the expansion of the Whittall Carpet Mills. It is nearly identical to the Woodland Street Firehouse, also designed by Fuller and Delano in 1886, and it remains essentially unaltered.
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 80000487, listed March 5, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 534 Cambridge St., Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | March 5, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000487 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Fuller & Delano |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a fire station, its original use. Apart from some modern repainting it is unaltered. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.24404, -71.80901 (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 80000487.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5025541
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.