Built 1842 NRHP Reference # 80000627 Added to NRHP 5 March 1980 | MPS Worcester MRA Opened 1842 Architect Elias Carter | |
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Location 770 Main St., Worcester, Massachusetts Architectural style Greek Revival architecture Similar Wachusett Reservoir, DCU Center, Green Hill Park, Salisbury Mansion and Store, Elm Park | ||
The Dowley-Taylor House is a historic house at 770 Main Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. Built in 1842 to a design by noted architect Elias Carter, it is one of the best-preserved high-style Greek Revival mansions in the city. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Description and history
The Dowley-Taylor House is set on the north side of Main Street, south of Worcester's downtown business district. It is a large two story rectangular block with a hip roof topped by an oversized cupola with a surrounding porch. Its front facade consists of a full height portico supported by Corinthian columns. The front door is centered on the five-bay facade, surrounded by sidelight and transom windows and topped by an elaborate entablature supported by pilasters. The building corners are pilastered, and the windows of the front are framed by moulded caps.
The house was built in 1842 to a design by Elias Carter, and is the best-preserved of a small number of surviving Greek Revival mansions in the city. It was first occupied by Levi Dowley, a leathermaker and banker. After financial reverses, he sold it to armsmaker Ethan Allen, who moved it to its present location in 1853. It was owned for a time by Frank H. Kelley, who served as mayor of Worcester. In 1882 the house was purchased by Ransom Taylor, a prominent local real estate developer. It remained in Taylor family hands until 1957, when it was sold to Worcester Junior College, which adapted it for classroom use.