Whitcomb Mansion
Also known as: G. Henry Whitcomb House; See Also:NR110977
Why it's listed
Built in 1879-1880 at 51 Harvard Street in Worcester, Massachusetts, this granite house was originally known as the G. Henry Whitcomb House. It was designed by architect Stephen C. Earle in the Queen Anne style, and building notices of the time are the source of its date. The house sits on a lot of one acre or less, with about 150 feet of frontage and a setback of roughly 25 feet from the street. A stable survives as an outbuilding. The record notes that the building has neither been altered nor moved. When the inventory was compiled in 1976, it served as a home for the blind. It was included in a citywide group of Worcester properties reviewed together, and federal reviewers accepted it for listing in March 1980. The sheet itself gives little historical background and refers to a separate nomination for the fuller account.
Significance in brief: The state inventory sheet gives no statement of significance and refers readers to a separate nomination form. The property was included in the Worcester Multiple Resource Area nomination. It is recorded as an unaltered, unmoved example of Queen Anne architecture by a named architect.
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 80000499, listed March 5, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence low).
Key facts
| Address | 51 Harvard St., Worcester |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | March 5, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000499 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Stephen C. Earle (architect) |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a home for the blind; recorded as unaltered and not moved. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 42.27114, -71.80197 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 80000499.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.