The Institutional District of Worcester, Massachusetts is an historic district encompassing a significant concentration of civic and municipal buildings north of the city's downtown area. It is centered on Lincoln Square and Wheaton Square, and includes properties on Main, Salisbury, and Tuckerman Streets. It includes the 1840s Worcester County Courthouse, the War Memorial and Memorial Auditorium, and the former Worcester Historical Society building at 39 Salisbury Street. The 1897 Worcester Art Museum is included in the district, as is the c. 1890 armory building at 44 Salisbury Street. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Prior to its institutional uses, this part of Worcester was largely owned by the Salisbury family, whose progenitor, Stephen Salisbury I, opened a store at Lincoln Square in 1772. Salisbury's grandson, Stephen Salisbury III, was a major local industrialist, and began donating and selling portions of the family holdings in the 1880s. His donations included land for the Central Church, Boys' Club, Art Museum, Auditorium, and War Memorial. He was a major benefactor of the museum, bequesting it the family collection. The Salisbury Mansion and Store, now owned by the museum, are located just outside this district.
Contributing properties Worcester County Courthouse, 2 Main Street (1845), by Ammi B. Young; 1878 addition by Stephen C. Earle; 1899 addition by Andrews, Jaques & Rantoul; 1950s addition (non-contributing in this nomination, but contributing in the 2021 individual NR nomination for the courthouse). Worcester War Memorial, Lincoln Square (1935) by Lucius W. Briggs and Frederic C. Hirons Worcester Boys' Club (1930), Lincoln Square by Frost, Chamberlain & Edwards Worcester War Memorial Auditorium (1932), by Lucius W. Briggs and Frederic C. Hirons Central Church, Salisbury Street (1885), by Stephen C. Earle Worcester Historical Society, 39 Salisbury Street (1981), by Barker & Nourse Worcester Woman's Club (aka Tuckerman Hall), 10 Tuckerman Street (1902), by Josephine Wright Worcester Industrial Technical Institute (aka Worcester Voke), 2 Grove Street (1909), with additions (1916–1917) by Frost, Briggs & Chamberlain Worcester National Guard Armory, 44 Salisbury Street (1890), by Fuller & Delano, with addition (1907) North High School, 46 Salisbury Street (1889), by Fuller & Delano Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury Street (1897), by Stephen C. Earle, with later additions
Gallery
See also National Register of Historic Places listings in northwestern Worcester, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places listings in Worcester County, Massachusetts
References