Massachusetts Avenue Historic District
Why it's listed
Massachusetts Avenue in Worcester is a single block of eleven houses between Salisbury Street and Drury Lane, divided by a thirty-foot grassy mall and shaded by tall trees. Ten of the houses went up between 1889 and 1906, mostly in the Colonial Revival style with Queen Anne, Shingle and Tudor details. The eleventh, the Trumbull Mansion, was built in 1751 as the Second Worcester County Court House and moved here in 1899 for residential use. The land belonged to Stephen Salisbury, who sold lots with building restrictions, including a requirement to build within a year. The first owners included lawyers, physicians, bankers and a mayor. The layout, with its park-like center, departs from the usual grid of the period. Matching materials, building size, spacing and setbacks give the street a consistent look. The buildings are described as in excellent condition, with no later intrusions, and this coherence and the planned design are the main reasons for the district's recognition.
Significance in brief: The district illustrates the single-family house designs favored by industrialists and professionals in New England around 1900, and holds the best examples of Worcester's high-style taste of that period. Stephen Salisbury's planned layout, with a central grassy mall, gives the block the character of a square rather than a linear street. The houses show unusual architectural coherence in materials, size, spacing, setback and planting.
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 71000356, listed December 16, 1971. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Between Salisbury St. and Drury Lane, Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | December 16, 1971 |
| Reference number | 71000356 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1889-1906 (1751) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, with Queen Anne, Shingle, Tudor/Jacobethan and Richardsonian influences; one late Colonial house (Trumbull Mansion) |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | All buildings are described as in excellent condition and, except the Trumbull Mansion, retain their original appearance; uses are private residence, institutional dormitory and park. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Coordinates | 42.27802, -71.81155 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 71000356.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6784191
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.