Union Station
Why it's listed
Union Station, on Washington Square in Worcester, was built between 1909 and 1911 for the Boston and Albany Railroad to replace an 1875 station whose ground-level tracks became obsolete when in-town tracks were elevated. Watson and Huckel of Philadelphia designed it in a Classical Revival, Beaux Arts style, with the main body modeled after a Roman basilica. Construction was delayed by part of the Blackstone Canal bed, then used as a sewer, which required special foundation engineering. The building sits on a granite base and is faced with glazed white terracotta, with three main entry arches framed by marble Ionic half-columns. Two 175-foot towers were later removed because of structural weakness. It served four railroad companies and was a source of civic pride. At the time of documentation the interior, including the main waiting room vault, was largely destroyed, but the exterior survived and proposals for re-use existed.
Significance in brief: The station is described as the city's most imposing example of Beaux Arts Classical architecture and a major local landmark because of its scale and prominent site. It replaced an 1875 station made obsolete by elevated tracks, and it served several railroad companies during heavy early twentieth-century traffic.
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 80000617, listed March 5, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Washington Sq., Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | March 5, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000617 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Watson and Huckel of Philadelphia |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival (Beaux Arts) |
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as vacant, abandoned and open to the weather; interior largely destroyed, though the steel and concrete structure may be salvageable for re-use. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.26131, -71.79498 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 80000617.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7886112
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.