Harris-Merrick House
Why it's listed
Built between about 1832 and 1844, this two-story, side-hall plan house at 41 Fruit Street in Worcester is a surviving example of Greek Revival design. Corner pilasters with simple wooden frets, floor-to-ceiling first-floor windows and an original entry with side lights mark its character. Only the porch has been rebuilt, in the 1970s, with a stone base and fluted replacement columns. The house originally stood at 11 Chestnut Street, in the first wave of development on Worcester's west side after Governor Levi Lincoln subdivided the Sever Farm in the early 1830s. It was built either for bookseller Clarendon Harris or for judge and attorney Pliny Merrick. Later owners included attorney Frederick W. Gale and physician Henry Clarke. In 1874 Edward W. Lincoln moved it to Fruit Street, then an open tract, and converted it to a two-family house. Lincoln later built rental houses nearby, linking the building to two phases of the city's residential growth.
Significance in brief: It is one of the earliest houses remaining from the initial development of Worcester's west side, which began in the early 1830s on land subdivided from the Sever Farm. It retains most of its original Greek Revival features. It is associated with two stages of the city's nineteenth-century westward residential expansion.
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 80000602, listed March 5, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 41 Fruit St., Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | March 5, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000602 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential; the porch was rebuilt in the 1970s with a modern stone base and replacement fluted columns. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.26823, -71.81044 (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 80000602.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5664714
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.