Fontaine, George, Three-Decker
Why it's listed
Built around 1918 at 141 Vernon Street, this three-decker stands on the crest of Vernon Hill in Worcester's East Side. It is a wood-frame, side-hall-plan house covered in clapboard and shingle under a gambrel roof. Its asymmetrical facade has a three-tier porch built into a small gambrel portico, with Tuscan columns on the first level, shingled piers and a balustrade on the second, and a semicircular opening with a keystone on the third. A two-story bay with unusual 25-over-1 sash flanks the porch, long shed dormers sit on the roof, and the side walls have small rectangular and diamond-pattern lights. The house was listed for its ornate, finely detailed gambrel design and for its place in the development of fashionable multi-family housing along the Vernon Street streetcar corridor. George Fontaine, an inspector, was the first owner and lived here through 1930. Early tenants included a machinist, a timekeeper and a mixer, two of them employed at the Norton Company.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is tied to the growth of the Vernon Street streetcar corridor as a stylish residential district on Vernon Hill in Worcester's ethnic East Side. It is also an unusually ornate, well-detailed example of the gambrel-roof three-decker form popular locally in the early 20th century. It meets criteria A and C at the local level.
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 89002447, listed February 9, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 141 Vernon St., Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | February 9, 1990 |
| Reference number | 89002447 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival (Gambrel) Three-Decker |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, European, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Recorded in poor condition, with significant deterioration of some sheathing; present use is residential. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.24472, -71.79583 (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 89002447.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5539336
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.