Elizabeth Street School
Why it's listed
Elizabeth Street School is a two-story brick schoolhouse in Worcester's Chandler Hill neighborhood, completed in 1893 for the City of Worcester as a grammar school. It was designed by George Clemence in the first year of his architectural practice. The building rises from a basement of mottled yellow brick, with red brick upper stories. Its most prominent features are two square entry towers on the southern portion, each with an arched entry, roundels at the first floor, tripartite arched windows above, and a high pyramidal roof. Arched windows, brick diaper patterns beneath the eaves and eyebrow dormers add further decoration. The design blends Renaissance Revival and Romanesque Revival elements in an eclectic way. The school is notable because it has had no major additions, unlike most school buildings of its era, possibly because the surrounding neighborhood was already fully developed when it was built. The city later used it as an instructional resource center.
Significance in brief: The nomination points to the building's eclectic mix of Renaissance Revival and Romanesque Revival elements and to its place as an early work from the first year of Clemence's practice. It also notes that, unlike most schools of its period, it has had no major additions.
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 80000589, listed March 5, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 31 Elizabeth St., Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | March 5, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000589 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | George Clemence |
| Architectural style | Eclectic (Renaissance Revival and Romanesque Revival elements) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used by the school department as an "Instructional Resource Center" at the time of the 1978 survey; the form records no alterations and no moves. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.27024, -71.79077 (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 80000589.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5363578
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.