McGuinness, Patrick, Three-Decker
Why it's listed
Built around 1908 at 25 Suffield Street in Worcester, this double three-decker held six rental apartments. Its first owner, Patrick McGuinness, was a plumber who lived nearby on Orne Street. The building went up as part of the development of Vernon Hill's lower western slope into a working-class, multi-family neighborhood. The area was first Irish and, to a lesser degree, Swedish, and by the 1920s Polish and Lithuanian families were moving in. Early tenants worked as machinists, a watchmaker, an electrician and a leatherworker, among other trades. Architecturally, the house is a carefully detailed use of Colonial Revival features. It has a symmetrical facade with a recessed three-tier porch, slender Tuscan columns, arched openings with keystones on the third tier, and shallow rounded bay windows. Wood clapboard is banded with wide shingle courses, and a shallow hip roof carries a bracketed cornice. It remains in very good condition with no major alterations and is still residential.
Significance in brief: It is tied to the ethnic, working-class residential district that grew on the western slope of Vernon Hill on Worcester's East Side in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is also an unusually well-preserved and well-detailed double three-decker using Colonial Revival elements. It is considered significant at the local level under Criteria A and C.
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 89002439, listed February 9, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 25 Suffield St., Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | February 9, 1990 |
| Reference number | 89002439 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival Three-Decker |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential; condition is very good, with no major alterations and no outbuildings. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 42.24974, -71.79677 (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 89002439.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7147162
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.