William Trowbridge Forbes House

The William Trowbridge Forbes House was a historic house at 23 Trowbridge Road in Worcester, Massachusetts. Built in 1898 to a design by Barker & Nourse, it was one of the city's finest examples of Tudor Revival architecture, and was home to Esther Forbes, author of Johnny Tremain. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1] The house was demolished in November 2003.[2]

William Trowbridge Forbes House
c. 1978 photo
William Trowbridge Forbes House is located in Massachusetts
William Trowbridge Forbes House
William Trowbridge Forbes House is located in the United States
William Trowbridge Forbes House
Location23 Trowbridge Rd., Worcester, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°16′20″N 71°48′40″W
Area1.4 acres (0.57 ha)
Built1898 (1898)
ArchitectBarker & Nourse
Architectural styleTudor Revival
MPSWorcester MRA
NRHP reference No.80000636[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 05, 1980

Description and history

The William Trowbridge Forbes House was located in a residential setting northwest of downtown Worcester, and just south of the campus of Worcester Polytechnic Institute on the west side of Trowbridge Street. It was a large 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with steeply pitched gables, diamond pane windows, and extensive half-timbered stucco exterior. A stone terrace extended along its southern facade.[3]

The house was built in 1898 to a design by Barker & Nourse, and it was a prominent local example of the Tudor Revival. It was supposedly built on the site of an early example of residential construction in concrete, designed by Elbridge Boyden; that house was demolished because it could not accommodate modern amenities such as indoor plumbing and electricity. William Forbes, the owner, was a local lawyer and politician who served in the state legislature and as a probate judge. His wife Harriette Merrifield Forbes is locally notable for her interest in, and photography of, local architectural history, and for organization of a local suffragette society that met at the house. Her daughter was Esther Forbes, the writer of children's books best known for Johnny Tremain.[3]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. Semon, Craig S. (April 15, 2012). "Patriot place: Forbes penned 'Johnny Tremain' in Worcester". Telegram & Gazette. Worcester, Massachusetts. p. A.3.
  3. "NRHP nomination for William Trowbridge Forbes House". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
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