Waldo Street Police Station
Why it's listed
Waldo Street Police Station in Worcester was completed in 1918 to replace an 1880s police station. It was planned to house both the city's police headquarters and the Central District Court. Local architect George Clemence designed the three-story building, which rises from a high basement to a flat roof. The north and west elevations and part of the south elevation are faced with pressed brick and trimmed with very ornate terracotta. Two nearly identical entries on the west side have arched doorways framed in brick, with terracotta lettering reading "Police" and "Courts." Third-story windows are paired arches set within larger blind arches, each topped by a marble roundel. A deep terracotta cornice with dentils, modillions and foliate bands crowns the building. The building is recorded as unaltered and unmoved, retaining all elements of its unusual Renaissance Revival design, and it was recently vacated. It is regarded as a major public building of high architectural quality.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as a major public building of unusually high architectural quality. It is an unaltered example of Renaissance Revival design with ornate terracotta detailing. It replaced an 1880s police station and served as police headquarters and Central District Court.
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 80000586, listed March 5, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Waldo St., Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | March 5, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000586 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | George H. Clemence |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Recently vacated; described as in unaltered condition. The form also lists present use as police station and district court. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 42.26579, -71.79955 (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 80000586.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7961586
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.