Main Street Historic District (Webster, Massachusetts)
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Main Street Historic District
|
|
 |
|
 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 175-299 and 228-274 Main St., Webster, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1888 |
| Architect | Multiple |
| Architectural style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 82004484 |
| Added to NRHP | April 6, 1982 |
The Main Street Historic District is a special area in Webster, Massachusetts. It's like a time capsule showing what the town's main shopping street looked like long ago. This district includes fourteen old buildings on Main Street. They are found between High and Church Streets in downtown Webster.
This area has the most old commercial buildings in the town. These buildings were important for business in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. This means it is recognized as a place important to history.
Exploring Webster's Historic Main Street
The town of Webster started in 1713. It was first part of Dudley. Webster became its own town in 1832. The busy part of downtown Webster is near a bend in the French River. This area is along an east-west part of Main Street.
How Main Street Changed Over Time
Main Street was first a place where people lived. The first building for shops was built in 1888. By 1905, the street looked much more like a business area. Many buildings had shops or a mix of shops and homes. More buildings were added between 1912 and 1925. This made Main Street a strong business center.
After World War II, things started to change. New shopping centers were built outside of town. People began to shop there instead. This caused businesses in downtown Webster to slow down.
What You'll See in the District
The historic district has fourteen buildings. Eight of these are on the north side of Main Street. They stand between High and Church Streets. When the district was first listed in 1982, there were ten buildings here. Two of them have since been taken down.
On the south side of Main Street, there are six buildings. They are grouped together across from Tracy Court. All these buildings are two to four stories tall. They are made of strong materials like brick. Many also have stone decorations.
The buildings show different styles popular long ago. You can see styles like Classical Revival, Queen Anne, and Renaissance Revival. One building even has parts of an older house inside it. That house was built in 1875 in the Italianate style.
