Massachusetts History Blog

Fay House // c.1840

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One of the most spectacular residences in Westborough, Massachusetts, can be found on Church Street, which is a unique blending of two distinct architectural styles. The house here was originally built around 1840 as a Greek Revival style residence, which would have had a gabled roof, and it retains the original corner pilasters and Ionic columned porch. Records state the the house was built for Cyrus Fay (1812-1884), possibly around the time of his marriage in 1837 to Caroline Pope. Caroline passed away in 1852 at the age of 36, and Cyrus remarried in 1855 to Nancy Avery White. It was likely after his second marriage, and after he became the first president of the Westborough Savings Bank in 1869, that the house was modernized with a Mansard roof with belvedere.

Henry Block // 1873

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Mid-late 19th century commercial blocks provide human-scaled density, high quality design, and often contain intimate storefronts providing reasonable rent to local businesses. The Henry Block in Westborough, Massachusetts, is one great example of a historic commercial building that checks all of these boxes. The brick building was constructed in 1873 by its namesake, Samuel Gates Henry (1813-1877), a pharmacist and dentist who rented space in an earlier building on the site. When a fire destroyed the old structure, Samuel Henry had this block erected on the site and leased out spaces in the building to other businesses and tenants in the floors above. The block is Italianate/Italian Renaissance Revival in style with the typical round arched windows and bracketed cornice. The granite storefronts even retain some of the original cast-iron supports.

Westborough Rail Station // 1899

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The Boston-Worcester Railroad roared into Westborough Square in 1834 and opened the once rural community to commerce and trade from its larger neighbors. The depot was in the center of the village and facilitated a development boom of commercial buildings. By the later 19th century, the Boston and Albany Railroad controlled the railway service and had built up an extensive passenger and freight service. The company sought to straighten out the track, thus increasing its speed and efficiency, so the B&A relocated the track in 1899 from the center of Westborough to its present elevated site on East Main Street, outside the commercial core of the town. The new station was built in 1899 and is a late example of the region’s many Richardsonian Romanesque stations, constructed of rusticated pale granite with contrasting brownstone trim; copper ornament; and a simple rectangular-plan structure topped by a low, overhanging hipped roof. Decades before this station was built, the Boston & Albany Railroad in 1881, hired renowned architect Henry Hobson Richardson to design a series of passenger stations. Over the next five years, Richardson was responsible for nine B&A stations, primarily closer to Boston and the nearer suburbs. After Richardson’s death in 1886, the B&A commissioned his successors, Shepley Rutan & Coolidge, to design 23 additional stations between 1886 and 1894. The unofficial style of B&A stations remained after 1894 and was employed in Westborough to a lesser ornate scale. Train service to town ceased here, but the tracks remain active. The former station was converted to office use. 

Westborough Arcade // 1890

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 The Second Meeting House of Westborough, Massachusetts, was built on this important site in the center of the village in 1749. It was a plain, wooden building and was used for both church services and town meetings, since church and state were essentially inseparable at the time. When a new church was built in 1837, this building was purchased and converted to commercial use. The first floor of the building was raised, and another floor was added underneath. The steeple was also removed. The building then became known as “The Arcade Building,” a kind of mall with small shops opening onto the porch. By the end of the 19th century, the old wooden building was nearing 150 years old and owners decided to demolish the structure, and replace it with a more permanent and stately block. The New Arcade was built in 1890 and is more Romanesque in style. The handsome brick block has retail spaces on the ground floor with residences above, a great example of mixed-use.

Westborough Savings Bank // 1928

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The Westborough Savings Bank was incorporated in 1869 and shared space in a building with another bank and the post office. As the population and prosperity grew in the suburban community, so did the Westborough Savings Bank, who would move into a larger space. Just before the Great Depression, the bank sought to build its first purpose-built structure, and they hired the firm J. Williams Beal & Sons to furnish plans for this handsome masonry bank, designed to showcase the strength and stability of the institution. Renaissance Revival in style, the 1928 building is constructed of buff brick with limestone trim. The facade is dominated by large, round arched windows and is framed by pilasters with an off-center entrance. The Westborough Savings Bank would eventually merge into Avidia Bank and the West Main Street building was sold. The handsome building is well-preserved and home to Westborough TV, which makes broadcast media programming that is by, about, and for the entire Westborough community.

Harvey School // 1883

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Built to meet the needs of an expanding and prosperous community, the Harvey School in Westborough, Massachusetts, was built as a neighborhood school and is both historically and architecturally significant. Located on Phillips Street, a residential, tree-lined street just north of the commercial center of town, the Harvey School was built in 1883 under the supervision of Dr. Edwin Bayard Harvey, a local doctor who served on the town’s School Committee and as superintendent of schools from 1887-1890. As a State Senator he introduced a bill in 1884, which became law, to provide free textbooks for schoolchildren of Massachusetts. The Queen Anne style school building was in plan, designed by Dr. Harvey, who hired the Worcester-based architectural firm of Barker & Nourse, to furnish plans and design the building itself. The school would eventually close in 1980 as many local schools were consolidated, and the building was rented to the Boy Scouts and the Westborough Community Chorus. Recent attention on the under-utilized building has initiated more discussion on the future of the building, which may eventually house a regional emergency communications center.

Dr. Edwin B. Harvey House // c.1830

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Edwin Bayard Harvey (1834-1913) was born in Deerfield, New Hampshire, and attended Wesleyan University in Connecticut, pursuing his career as a teacher. He would teach for a few years until he shifted gears and enrolled at Harvard Medical School, graduating in 1866. With the intention of settling in the West, he went to Waukegan, Illinois, but was not satisfied, so he returned to New England, and made his home in Westborough, Massachusetts. Edwin operated a medical office from this house on West Main Street and resided here with his family until his death in 1913. He often made house calls around town travelling by horseback. During his time in Westborough, Dr. Harvey served as President of the Massachusetts Medical Society from 1898-1900, and served on local school and library boards in Westborough. Never giving up on his push for education, as a State Senator in the legislature in 1884, Dr. Harvey introduced and was instrumental to the passage of a bill to provide free textbooks to the children of the state. The Dr. Edwin Harvey House remains in a great state of preservation.

Westborough Public Library // 1908

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The Westborough Public Library is a handsome, two-story, masonry building with additions to showcase the growth and importance of the library to the community. This building was constructed in 1908, replacing a small space in the first floor of the old Town Hall (since demolished) as the community’s first purpose-built library. The structure was designed by architect Penn Varney, who specialized in civic buildings in New England. The Classical Revival style building is constructed of buff brick with stone trimmings. Of particular note, the quoined arched entry and pediment with central wreath motif, add much to the design. The library was eventually outgrown, and in 1980, an addition was added to the rear, in a style taking cues from the main building, but clearly of its time. The Town of Westborough about to undergo a restoration and renovation to the library, including a new roof, HVAC systems, interior renovations and the restoration of the 1908 windows.

Rev. Ebenezer Parkman House // 1750

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Reverend Ebenezer Parkman (1703-1782) was a graduate of Harvard University and served as the first minister in Westborough, Massachusetts, from 1724 until his death. The town’s first meetinghouse was located on Powder Hill; however, in 1748, the community decided to build a new meetinghouse closer to the town center. In 1750, the town built Reverend Parkman a second parsonage, this large Georgian house, closer to the meetinghouse which would accommodate his growing family. It is said that when built, some members of the church felt the home was too grand and luxurious for the minister and particularly made reference to the numerous windows as glass was an expensive commodity at the time. From his residence and serving as the town’s minister for 58 years, Parkman watched his town grow from an English settlement on the fringe of civilization to a prosperous village in the independent United States. Parkman’s insights into the life of these times are recorded in his daily journal, now housed at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester. It has also been digitized, providing a glimpse into daily life at the time. The house was originally located nearby but relocated in 1867 to its present location on High Street, where it remains in a great state of preservation. 

Prospect Hill Tower // 1903

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Originally part of the town of Charlestown, Massachusetts, Prospect Hill is now located in the nearby town of Somerville, established in 1842. As one of the hills closest to the city of Boston, the hill played a pivotal role in the line of defensive works constructed after the Battle of Bunker Hill. The area developed slowly, with old farms around Prospect Hill, largely subdivided in the late 19th century for residential development. Around this time, in 1886, the Prospect Hill Park Association was formed, and in 1898, land here was purchased for a public park. The focal point of the iconic neighborhood park is the stone castle structure at the top. Completed in 1903 to commemorate soldiers of the Revolutionary and Civil wars, the rusticated granite tower was designed by Ernest W. Bailey, the City Engineer of Somerville, who also worked to landscape the surrounding park. The granite blocks were shipped in from Deer Isle, Maine. By the 1960s, the structure began to suffer from deferred maintenance. The City of Somerville added the concrete retaining walls to shore up the landscape, which worked for some time. Decades later in the early 2000s, the structure was at risk of further deterioration. Through Community Preservation Act funds, the tower and surrounding landscape were restored and made safer, making this important memorial accessible and enhanced for all to enjoy.