Oxford-Crown Extension District
Also known as: See also:Oxford-Crown Historic District
The pin is a point inside the NPS boundary polygon, not a surveyed location.
Why it's listed
This residential district in Worcester, Massachusetts, extends the neighboring Oxford-Crown Historic District across Austin, Chatham, Congress, Crown and Pleasant Streets. Most of its buildings date from about 1851 to 1870, when the streets were opened and quickly filled with side-hall houses with gabled or pedimented facades. Early residents were artisans, small-scale manufacturers and businessmen. Many houses are Greek Revival, while others mix that style with Italianate brackets and porches. Rarer examples include 98 Austin Street, one of the city's few temple-front Greek Revival houses, and 16 Congress Street, a three-and-a-half-story architectural curiosity. Along Pleasant Street, brick apartment and row house blocks from 1870 to 1888 reflect late nineteenth-century redevelopment of main roads. Granite walls, gate posts and stairways add to the area's character. Together with the adjoining district, it preserves a large share of one of Worcester's earliest residential neighborhoods.
Significance in brief: The district holds Greek Revival and early Victorian houses of similar design and history to those in the neighboring Oxford-Crown district. Together the two areas preserve a large part of one of Worcester's earliest residential neighborhoods, built up during the boom years of 1845-1860. It also contains rarer building types and late-1800s brick blocks that mark the north ends of Oxford and Crown Streets.
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 80000605, listed March 5, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Properties along Ashland, Austin, Chatham, Congress, Crown, and Pleasant Sts., Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | March 5, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000605 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca. 1849-1888 |
| Architect / builder | Emerson & Fehmer (1-7 Ashland Street); Barker & Nourse (8-10 Congress Street, 187 and 195 Pleasant Street) |
| Architectural style | Mixed Victorian: Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne and Victorian Gothic elements |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Primarily residential with some commercial use; condition ranges from poor to excellent. Some demolitions have occurred, but most buildings built before 1870 remain. |
| Acreage | 5.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.26224, -71.80882 (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 80000605.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7115212
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.