Ruggles, Draper, House
Why it's listed
Built around 1848 at 21 Catherine Street in Worcester, this Greek Revival house was the home of Draper Ruggles, a partner in the manufacturing firm Ruggles, Nourse & Mason. The firm made cast-iron plows and other farm implements in the Court Mills, and by 1851 it employed more than two hundred people. The house is square in plan, rises two stories from a rock-faced granite foundation to a low hip roof, and has a symmetrical facade with a two-storey portico of reeded columns and a projecting entry pavilion with a balcony. It is considered a rare survivor of a house type popularized by architect Elias Carter, who may have influenced the design, though no architect is known. Few comparable houses remain substantially intact. Around 1889-1890 the building was moved westward on its lot to its present position, and it later served as a nursing home.
Significance in brief: The house is described as an extremely important local example of Greek Revival architecture and a rare survivor of a hip-roofed, square-plan type with a two-storey portico popularized by local architect Elias Carter. It is also tied to Draper Ruggles, a partner in Ruggles, Nourse & Mason, one of Worcester's largest makers of agricultural implements.
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 80000556, listed March 5, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 21 Catherine St., Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | March 5, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000556 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is a nursing home; the form says no alterations were made to the original fabric apart from the Victorian entry, and the house was moved westward on its lot around 1889-1890. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.27578, -71.79247 (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 80000556.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5305859
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.