The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-06-04
GROWN HANDSOME.
Marvellous Progress
of Worcester In
Twelve Years.
ARCHITECUALLY IN THE LEAD.
From Looking Like a Fac
tory TownShe Now Stands
in Regal Civic Beauty.

As late as dozen years ago, Wor-
cester looked to the eye Of the stranger
as he passed along her main thorough
fares for the first time, just for all the
world like prosperous country town.
Not a decent public building was in
sight anywhere to impress upon his
mind the importance of Worcester as a
city, or enable him to form any con-
ception of the commercial activity and
prosperity which prevailed within her
borders.
The handsome soldiers monument on
the common was the only civic object
that was of sufficient dignity and i'm
portance to arrest the eye of the tran
silent visitor, and make him feel that,
after all, a town that had enterprise
enough and sufficient public taste to
erect so fine a memorial, must be out
of its township swaddling clothes and
well on it's way towards the full
growth of municipal seniority.
Except for the newly erected Jonas
G. Clark blocks and the Knowles ana
Burnside buildings, the character OF
the business architecture Of worcester
was decidedly squatty and unattractiVe.
The various bank offices, with the eX-
ceptions of the Central National ana
the Peoples Savings, were located IN
most unpretentious, not DOWNRIGHT
dngy quarters.
The only theatre in the city was a
barn and a fre-trap. The chief post
office was slowed away in poky quar-
ters on a side street, and was not one
l., oh f1Y fha requirements
of the city The local militia companies
were anything but properly housed IN
, rented habitations, and to complete the
uninteresting picture, there were the
ironically christened 'viaduct" on
Front street Unfortunately we have
that with Us stilD, and the ark-lKe
city hail. with it's basement, Just freed
| from use as a lookup, and given over
entirely to hired service as retail shoe
store!
Worcester had some fine church
buildings a dozen years ago-All Saints ,
| Plymouth, st. PauPs, Central, Piedmont
but they were hidden away from the
eye Of the casual visitor who, spending
a day or part Of day. in the city,
would go away ignorant Of their exist
ence unless some resident took him IN
charge and led him to where they were
| located.
The same might be said Of the classi-
! cal high school, the site for which was
evidently chosen that none but those
in heaven might look upon its fair pro-
portions.
The Worcester of 1899 presents a far
! different picture. Indeed, so wide is
| the difference and so marked the i'm
provement that the visitor of twelve
| years ago, if he were repeating his
visit today, without having seen the
| city of Worcester in the meantime,
would rub his eyes in Rip Van Wrinkle
| establishment He would be pretty
| apt to wonder whether he really was
| in the right town. And his surprise
| would be Dardonable.
1t is no exaggeratiOn to say that to-
! day no city in this country. not even
| Of the metropolitan class. can boast Of
1 finer specimens Of pure and imposing
/ public and private architecture than
/ those which adorn Worcester's princi-
/ pl streets. Greeting the eye Of the
/ visiting traveller at every turn and
/ filling his mind with an immediate
! consciousness Of the enterprise, pro-
! gress and prosperity and cultured pub
| lie taste of the second city Of Massa-
| chusetts.
The pioneer of the new order was
| the Five Cents Savings bank building,
at the corner Of Walnut and Main
| streets Soon after came the handsome
] post office at Franklin square, which
did, however, make everybody sick IN