Taft Brothers Block
Why it's listed
Standing at 2-8 South Main Street in Uxbridge, this three-story red brick commercial block was built in 1902 for Robert and Jacob Taft, grocers. It covers nearly all of its corner lot at a major intersection at the north end of the town's commercial district. Decoration is restrained, limited to a brick cornice and rock-faced granite trim around the windows and storefronts. The third floor is taller than the others because it originally held a public hall, a common feature of commercial blocks of the period. The building replaced the Capron Building, a Federalist style block of about 1814-1820 that housed a dry goods store, bank offices and a hall before a fire destroyed it on December 20, 1896. The block is regarded as a good local example of late Victorian commercial design, one of three large blocks built in Uxbridge around 1900, and it recalls the reconstruction of the town center after two fires in the mid-1890s. The storefront was rebuilt in the 1970s.
Significance in brief: It is a good local example of late Victorian commercial architecture and one of three large commercial blocks built in Uxbridge around the turn of the century. It also reflects the rebuilding of the town center's commercial district after two fires in the mid-1890s. It stands on the approximate site of the earlier Capron Building, destroyed by fire in 1896.
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 83004137, listed October 7, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2-8 S. Main St., Uxbridge |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | October 7, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83004137 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Astylistic late Victorian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is commercial and offices; the storefront was rebuilt in the 1970s. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.07630, -71.62910 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 83004137.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7675028
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.