McGrath, Patrick, Three-Decker
Why it's listed
Built around 1894 at 50 Dorchester Street in Worcester, this three-decker was part of a row of similar houses on the lower western slope of Grafton Hill. It reflects the 1890s move of many Irish families out of crowded neighborhoods near downtown into new three-decker districts on the East Side hills. The first known owner, Patrick J. McGrath, was a carpenter who lived in the building, and his family owned and occupied it through 1910. Early tenants included a laborer, a stone cutter and a teacher. Architecturally, the house is an early Queen Anne example, with a hip roof, side-hall plan, side-wall jog and a three-story projecting bay window. Its full-length first-floor porch keeps turned posts, a ball-and-spindle frieze and decorative brackets, and heavy brackets also mark the roofline. Wood clapboard covers the walls, with a shingle band between the second and third stories. It remains in residential use and in good condition.
Significance in brief: The nomination links the house to the early Irish working-class residential growth of Grafton Hill's western slope in the late 19th century. It also calls the house an unusually intact, well-detailed example of early Queen Anne three-decker design in the earliest core of three-decker development in the Grafton Hill/Vernon Hill area. 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 89002407, listed February 9, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 50 Dorchester St., Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | February 9, 1990 |
| Reference number | 89002407 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, European, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Recorded as in good condition, with present use residential; the porch balustrade spindles have been replaced. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.25161, -71.79407 (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 89002407.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7147159
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.