Dewey Francis, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1912 at 71 Elm Street in Worcester, this two-and-one-half storey frame house is covered in stucco and has an asymmetrical plan and elevation. Its most distinctive features are the Flemish gables holding diamond-pane wooden casements, a red slate roof, and an entry porch of fine cast stone with Tuscan columns, a triglyph entablature and a balustrade. The house replaced an earlier dwelling from about 1860, and parts of that building, particularly the foundation, may survive in it. The Boston firm Little & Brown designed it for Francis Dewey, presenting him with three proposals, the others being Colonial Revival and English Tudor. Its high design quality and nearly unaltered condition make it an important example of the flamboyant period houses popular from about 1910 to 1930. Dewey, a Worcester native and fourth-generation judge, led the Worcester Consolidated Railway from 1898 until his death in 1933. The house now serves as offices and keeps an original garage.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an important, nearly unaltered example of the flamboyant "period" houses popular between about 1910 and 1930. It was designed by the prominent firm of Little & Brown, which offered Dewey three different designs. It is also associated with Francis Dewey (1856-1933), a Worcester judge and railway executive.
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 80000580, listed March 5, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 71 Elm St., Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | March 5, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000580 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Little & Brown (Boston) |
| Architectural style | Flemish/eclectic |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is offices; the form says the house is in original condition apart from first-storey windows replaced with thermal-pane units in 1978. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.26573, -71.80936 (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 80000580.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5480726
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.