Worcester Telegram and Gazette
August 17, 2001
WORCESTER - The three-decker at 454 Pleasant St. sat neglected for years with cracked windows, peeling paint and dangerously deteriorating porches.
The only residents of the house were pigeons in the attic and mice in the basement.
Soon, however, the historic building - a stone's throw from the busy intersection at Pleasant Street and Park Avenue - will be filled with families seeking affordable housing.
Yesterday, officials at the nonprofit Worcester Community Housing Resources Inc. threw open the three-decker's doors so neighborhood residents and community leaders could take a peek at the $308,000 worth of work pumped into the building.
"We've already had some business people say they might be investing in this neighborhood, just because of this project," said Peter Fellenz, executive director of Worcester Community Housing Resources.
The restoration is the fifth completed by Worcester Community Housing Resources with subsidies provided by the city and the Massachusetts Development through a federal home program.
Worcester Community Housing Resources has also rehabilitated properties at 110 Austin St., 30 Irving St., 8 Townsend St. and 57 Russell St. It is set to begin work on six-unit properties at 114 and 142 Elm St. and is looking to restore other residences in the area.
The properties fixed up by Worcester Community Housing Resources are sold to qualified first-time buyers. The house at 545 Pleasant St. is being offered at $155,000.
Paul V LaCava, the assistant city manager who oversees Worcester's neighborhoods said the recent Worcester Community Housing Resources restoration will help stabilize the area and place another property on the tax rolls.
He said about 100 units of affordable housing have been put back on the market over the past year, much of it the doing of local community development corporations and housing nonprofits.
Affordable housing is a major issue in older urban centers in the northeast.
But City Councilor Dennis L. Irish, who sits on the council's Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization Committee, said the problem in Worcester isn't as acute because of these recent efforts to rehab old properties.
Mr. Irish, who served until recently as chairman of the Worcester Community Housing Resources board, said the city administration has placed great emphasis on Worcester's neighborhoods.
According to Sen. Harriette L. Chandler, D-Worcester, the Massachusetts Legislature is considering a $500 million bond issue to fund affordable housing projects.
"I'd like to see Worcester's name all over it (the bill)," said Ms. Chandler.
The property at 454 Pleasant St. is the only three-decker on the route from Main Street to Park Avenue. The Queen Anne-style home was built in 1892.
Patricia Cushman Thon of the Downtown Neighborhood Partners said the immediate area was home to a large farm from 1850 to 1870.
In 1871, the property was opened up to development and the area became known as "Pleasantville".
Most of the area homes were constructed by Benjamin Jakes but preservationists are not sure if the carpenter built 454 Pleasant St., which was first owned by a local grocer.
©2001 Worcester Telegram & Gazette
