West Main Street Historic District
Also known as: See Also:West Main Street Historic District (Boundary Increa
Why it's listed
Next to the center of Westborough's main business district, this 45-acre neighborhood contains 233 buildings, sites and objects, of which 180 buildings, one site and one object contribute to its character. Houses dating from 1795 to 1900 range from Federal five-bay dwellings on West Main Street to Greek Revival homes on Parkman and Church Streets, followed by Italianate, Second Empire and Queen Anne examples, mostly built by local carpenters. Public and commercial buildings include five churches, three schools, a library, a town hall, a fire station and Italianate and Victorian Gothic business blocks such as the American Block (1871) and the Park Building (1882). The Town Hall (1929) was designed by Kilham and Hopkins. An eighteenth-century cemetery serves as the only public open space. The area is recognized for tracing the town's growth from an early farming community to a diversified manufacturing center, and for its well-preserved architecture, which has seen only modest alteration. Almost all buildings remain in excellent condition and in use.
Significance in brief: The district shows Westborough's shift from an agricultural settlement to a diversified manufacturing town, through residential, commercial and institutional growth from the late 1700s into the 1900s. It holds vernacular and high-style houses built for leading merchants and manufacturers, well-preserved late nineteenth-century commercial blocks, and architecturally significant public buildings. It meets Criteria A and C at the local level.
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 87000884, listed June 16, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Milk, Main, Blake, and Fay Sts., Westborough |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | June 16, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87000884 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1795-1929 |
| Architect / builder | various; Kilham and Hopkins (Town Hall); a builder named Bullard (probable, Church Street houses) |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Victorian Gothic, Richardsonian Romanesque, Colonial Revival, Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Community Planning and Development, Commerce, Architecture, Religion |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | All structures are occupied, and almost all buildings are in excellent condition. Many are still used for their original purpose. |
| Acreage | 45 |
| Coordinates | 42.26807, -71.61734 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 87000884.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q17035788
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.