Indian Hill-North Village facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Indian Hill-North Village
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Houses on Watt Road
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | properties along Ararat St., Delaval, Heroult, Marconi, Watt Rds., and Westinghouse Pkwy., Worcester, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1915 |
| Architectural style | Modern Movement |
| MPS | Worcester MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 80000510 |
| Added to NRHP | March 05, 1980 |
Indian Hill-North Village is a special neighborhood in Worcester, Massachusetts. It's known as a historic district because it was one of the biggest planned communities for workers. The Norton Company, a very large employer at the time, built this neighborhood in the 1910s. In 1980, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's an important place to protect.
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Exploring Indian Hill-North Village
This part of Indian Hill is in northern Worcester. You can find it just west of Interstate 190. The neighborhood has streets like Ararat Street, Delaval Road, Heroult Street, and Marconi Road. Watt Road and Westinghouse Parkway run through the middle. Westinghouse Parkway is a wide road with trees in the center.
Homes in the Village
The houses in Indian Hill-North Village were designed by the Norton Company. Most of them are 1-1/2 stories tall. They are made of wood and have steep, pointed roofs covered with slate tiles. Each house usually has three sections on the front, with the main door in the middle. A small porch often covers the entrance.
There are also a few different types of houses. For example, two homes on Watt Road have an extra section built onto the back. Some newer ranch-style houses were built on Heroult Road in the 1960s, but they are not part of the original design.
Community Buildings
The village also had special buildings for the community. One was a community hall at 24-26 Watt Road. This was likely a place for meetings or events. There was also a community store at 8-10 Watt Road. These buildings helped make the village a complete place for its residents.
A Planned Community's History
The Norton Grinding Company created Indian Hill-North Village in 1915. It was designed as a "model" company town for its employees. A company town is a place where a company builds homes and services for its workers.
Who Designed the Village?
The design of this village is thought to be by Grosvenor Atterbury. He also designed the South Village of Indian Hill. The South Village was similar but was later changed when Interstate 190 was built.
Building During Wartime
The Norton Company set up a special company called the Indian Hill Company in 1914. This company helped manage the homes for workers. The exact time the North Village was built isn't fully known. However, it was likely built very quickly during World War I. At that time, there was a big shortage of housing.
Owning a Home in the Village
In the South Village, homes were sold right away to company employees at cost. But for the North Village, the Norton Company kept ownership of most of the homes until the 1920s. This type of planned worker community was very unique in Worcester. Other big companies in the city didn't build similar neighborhoods for their workers.
