Upsala Street School
Why it's listed
Upsala Street School is a brick grammar school at 36 Upsala Street in Worcester, built in 1894 to a design by George Clemence. It was constructed to serve the growing Union Hill neighborhood, where housing was spreading in the late 1890s and early 1900s. The original section is two and one-half stories with a slate-covered hip roof and a symmetrical north facade. A projecting central pavilion holds a deep arched entry flanked by blind arches and roundels dated 1894, with a shallow balcony and sandstone name plaque above. Sandstone forms the sills, lintels and a decorative band under the modillioned cornice. A rear wing added in 1902 repeats the original design and may have been planned from the start to allow expansion. A second addition of 1923, built of brick with sandstone trim, has a flat roof but otherwise resembles the earlier sections. The building remains in school use under city ownership, and its architecture and role in neighborhood growth support its listing.
Significance in brief: The school was built to serve the residential growth of the Union Hill neighborhood in the late 1890s and early 20th century. It is a Romanesque Revival building whose later additions closely follow the original design. The form checks the themes of architecture and community development.
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 80000493, listed March 5, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 36 Upsala St., Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | March 5, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000493 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | George Clemence (1894) |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Invention |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a school and owned by the City of Worcester; the form records no alterations or moves. |
| Acreage | 0.6 |
| Coordinates | 42.24177, -71.79509 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 80000493.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7899240
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.