Three-Deckers

Because of the large numbers of three-deckers remaining in Worcester (still very much in use and most well cared for), no individual building or district was nominated for inclusion in the National Register during the first multiple listing survey of Worcester buildings in 1978.

Endicott St in Worcester, MA

Nonetheless, this building type has played such an important role in the city's development that some three-deckers should be recognized for their historic value. To this end, we expect recognition to be forthcoming in the near future.

"If God had intended man to work in Worcester and live in Marlboro, He would never have created the three-decker".  This quote from a 1970 article in the Worcester Telegram was right on the mark. Three-decker creation was inevitable, for between 1880 and 1930 Worcester's population burgeoned from 60,000 to 195,000. To absorb that growth, the three-decker was "invented" and over 6,000 were built (4,000 of those in the thirty years between 1890 and 1920). As an adventure in family housing, it turned out to be an eminently practical answer to a serious problem.

The first three-decker was built ca. 1858 on Endicott or John Streets. Building records indicate that from 1890 to 1910 nearly one-half of all construction in Worcester consisted of three-deckers. In 1948, returning WWII veterans found that half the city's rental units were three-decker apartments. No new three-deckers have been built since 1936, but according to the 1980 census they still provided about one-fifth of the city's housing units.

Indigenous to New England, and a few Middle Atlantic states, these large, three storey buildings are still common sights in most mill and factory towns. Because Worcester spawned more than most, it became known as the "City of Three-Deckers." Solidly built of quality materials, with big, airy rooms and plenty of closets, they have provided excellent family housing for three-quarters of a century. Recent estimates place the number still remaining in Worcester at about 4500.