English High School
Why it's listed
Built in 1891-1892 at 20 Irving Street in Worcester, this three-and-one-half-story brick building was designed by the local firm Barker & Nourse as a high school for the city. It rises from a rock-faced granite base to a dormered hip roof, with brown sandstone trim and arched windows. A five-and-one-half-story corner tower, 130 feet high, has a high hip roof and cast-iron cresting. Main entries on Irving and Chatham Streets feature squat stone columns, carved foliage and, on the Chatham entry, a keystone with a carved lamp. The exterior is described as unaltered, keeping its original oak-panelled doors and low granite boundary walls. The school opened in September 1892 as English High School, the city's second high school. In 1914 it became home to Classical High School, and the former English High was reorganized as the High School of Commerce. After 1966 it stopped serving as a high school and has since housed school department offices.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as a superb, well-preserved and essentially unaltered example of Romanesque Revival architecture. It was designed by the locally prominent firm of Barker & Nourse, which featured it in an 1898 trade catalogue. It also served as one of the city's high schools from 1892 until 1966.
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 80000601, listed March 5, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 20 Irving St., Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | March 5, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000601 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Barker & Nourse |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as school department offices; it ceased to be a high school after 1966 and has since been used as office space. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.26273, -71.80668 (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 80000601.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5378284
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.