Forest Hill Cottage
Why it's listed
Forest Hill Cottage, at 22 Windsor Street in Worcester, is a one-and-a-half-story house dating to 1860 and is regarded as one of the city's best examples of Carpenter Gothic architecture. It rises from a brick foundation to steeply pitched roofs, with deep eaves, board-and-batten siding, a west bay window and a south-facing gable containing an ogee-arched window. The bargeboards have been removed, and a semi-octagonal front porch was added around 1880-1890. The house was built as a mirror image of its neighbor, Soho Cottage. Luther Ross, a pattern maker at the Court Mill, bought the lot from real estate developer Samuel Davis in 1860, and the city directory of 1861 first used the Forest Hill Cottage name. Ross lived there until 1886, when it was sold to H.D. Gough, whose heirs kept it into the twentieth century. The hillside setting, whimsical design and name reflect the Romantic ideas that shaped the neighborhood's mid-nineteenth century growth.
Significance in brief: The form describes it as among Worcester's best examples of Carpenter Gothic architecture. It was built as a near mirror image of its neighbor, Soho Cottage. Its hillside site, fanciful design and name reflect mid-nineteenth century development influenced by Romantic ideas about landscape and architecture.
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 80000529, listed March 5, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 22 Windsor St., Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | March 5, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000529 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Carpenter Gothic |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residence; the bargeboards have been removed and a semi-octagonal front porch was added around 1880-1890. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.27781, -71.79038 (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 80000529.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5468931
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.