Worcester City Hall and Common
Encyclopedia
Worcester City Hall and Common is a historic city hall
and town common at 455 Main Street in Worcester, Massachusetts
.
The Common, established in 1669, originally encompassed about 20 acres (8.1 ha) of land compared to its 4.4 acres (1.8 ha) at present. The Burnside Fountain
, also known as Turtle Boy, is located on the edge of the common.
A meeting house used for both town meetings and religious functions was constructed on the Common in 1719 on the same site as the current city hall. In 1763, the first meeting house was demolished and what became known as The Old South Meeting House was constructed in its stead. It was here, on July 14, 1776 that Isaiah Thomas
publicly read the Declaration of Independence
for the first time in New England
. The current Worcester City Hall was designed by Peabody & Stearns and completed in 1898. It was partly modeled after the Palazzo Vecchio
in Florence, Italy.
The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1978.
City hall is currently the 4th tallest building in Worcester.
City hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
and town common at 455 Main Street in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
.
The Common, established in 1669, originally encompassed about 20 acres (8.1 ha) of land compared to its 4.4 acres (1.8 ha) at present. The Burnside Fountain
Burnside Fountain
The Burnside Fountain, affectionately called Turtle Boy, is a statue of a boy "riding" a hawksbill sea turtle created by sculptor Charles Y. Harvey. The statue stands on a pedestal of pink granite created by architect Henry Bacon, who later designed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC...
, also known as Turtle Boy, is located on the edge of the common.
A meeting house used for both town meetings and religious functions was constructed on the Common in 1719 on the same site as the current city hall. In 1763, the first meeting house was demolished and what became known as The Old South Meeting House was constructed in its stead. It was here, on July 14, 1776 that Isaiah Thomas
Isaiah Thomas
Isaiah Thomas , was an American newspaper publisher and author. He performed the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in Worcester, Massachusetts and reported the first account of the Battles of Lexington and Concord...
publicly read the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
for the first time in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. The current Worcester City Hall was designed by Peabody & Stearns and completed in 1898. It was partly modeled after the Palazzo Vecchio
Palazzo Vecchio
The Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of Florence, Italy. This massive, Romanesque, crenellated fortress-palace is among the most impressive town halls of Tuscany...
in Florence, Italy.
The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1978.
City hall is currently the 4th tallest building in Worcester.