Davis, Wesley, Three-Decker
Why it's listed
Built around 1890 at 7 Albert Street in Worcester's University Park neighborhood, this wood-clapboard three-decker reflects the first wave of three-decker construction southwest of downtown, between Main Street and the railroad tracks. It follows a three-bay, side-hall plan and keeps a three-story front porch with turned posts, balustrades and curved decorative brackets. A shallow hip roof has wide eaves with regularly spaced brackets, and the windows are 2/1 sash with dentilled caps. Wesley Davis, a physician living elsewhere, is the first known owner. Later owners and tenants were mostly laborers and factory workers employed at places such as the Crompton and Knowles Loom Works and the Worcester Corset Works. The first known residents had French surnames, reflecting the neighborhood's French-Canadian immigrant community, and later residents included Irish and Swedish families. It was listed for its representation of early three-decker development and for its well-preserved Stick style porch details, which are uncommon locally.
Significance in brief: It is a representative example of the earliest phase of three-decker development in the Main South area in the early 1890s, tied to industrial expansion and an influx of immigrant workers, especially French-Canadians. It is also one of a handful of well-preserved local three-deckers that keep elaborate Stick style porch details.
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 89002386, listed February 9, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 7 Albert St., Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | February 9, 1990 |
| Reference number | 89002386 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Stick style Three-Decker |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, European, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as good; present use is residential, the same as its original use. Storm doors were added to the main entries in the 1970s. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.24854, -71.81999 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 89002386.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7983904
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.