The history of Main South shows how a once
thriving neighborhood declined because of
post-World War II urban trends affecting cities
nationwide.
Main South's beginnings can be traced to the late
1840s when real estate developer Eli Thayer
bought the pastures along south Main Street in
anticipation of rapid growth in Worcester. Thayer
was an antislavery activist, and he sold off his
land without developing it to pay for plans to
establish Yankee strongholds in states bordering
the South.
From the 1840s, Main South grew slowly, reaching
the area around Clark University in the 1880s and
1890s, when Jonas Clark purchased the first piece
of land for the campus bearing his name. This
gradual expansion left Main South with an
eclectic blend of architectural styles
representing different historical periods. By
1890, Main South developed into a neighborhood of
major industry, commercial establishments and
hundreds of new multiunit housing structures.
The neighborhood thrived until the 1950s, when it
began experiencing serious decline similar to
that occurring in other New England towns with
industrial bases, as residents moved out to the
suburbs. The housing stock declined and rents in
relation to income increased, while crime and
poverty became serious problems.
Much of the physical structure of the
neighborhood was determined prior to the end of
the 19th century. Today, formerly splendid
Victorian structures coexist with traditional
three deckers that were built to house the
workforce once employed in the now mostly vacant
industrial facilities on the eastern and southern
perimeters.
According to the 1990 census, over 78 percent of 12,000 residents of the
one-square mile area of Main South are of low or
moderate income
and over one-fourth of the residents live at or below
the poverty level. Unemployment is twice the
national average and 44 percent higher than
Worcester's average.