Frank Waite House
251 Salisbury Street
Continuing from last year’s list
This Classical Revival style house was built in 1915 on the site of the former Highland Military Academy. The imposing character of the building, with its monumental two-story Corinthian columns and distinctive roof line, lends prominence to this section of Salisbury Street. Built by Frank Waite, treasurer of the American Dry Plate Company, the house is extremely unusual in its use of pressed metal, most commonly seen in commercial buildings, for the cornice and massive roof balustrade. With its imposing classical façade, the Waite House is a Salisbury Street landmark.
Once serving as home to the New England School of Accounting and later as the private residence for the President of Central New England College, the house is now occupied by tenants. Continuing deterioration of the exterior has become an increasingly disturbing contrast to the gracious homes surrounding it in this historic neighborhood. The pressed metal cornice and balustrade are suffering from severe corrosion; there is spalling (flaking and crumbling) along the stucco façade; and stress cracks are evident on the columns and walls. The building remains intact overall, but needs immediate attention to prevent loss of the original exterior fabric.
The Frank Waite House was on Preservation Worcester’s internal watch list for several years before being moved to the Most Endangered List in 2006 due to the continued neglect and increasing state of deterioration at that time. It continues on the 2007 List because there has been no change in the past year. We continue to make every effort to communicate our concerns to the owner and to express the urgency of repairs needed to protect this significant Salisbury Street landmark.