Worcester Memorial Auditorium Development Plans

Worcester Memorial Auditorium ©DirectoryofWorcester.com

The City of Worcester is hoping to sell the Worcester Memorial Auditorium next year (2011).  This historic building has been the subject of many renovation and redevelopment discussions for many years.  Built in 1933 as a multi-purpose hall and as a memorial for World War I it was recently put on a list of endangered historic resources by Preservation Worcester.

Preservation Worcester is an organization who’s mission is to:

“preserve for future generations the sites and structures which are significant to the culture, history, and architecture of the city and to encourage excellence in design in the future.”

NECN did a recent story about the plans the City of Worcester is trying to put in place not just for the Worcester Auditorium but the Lincoln Square area itself.  Tim McCourthy of the Department of Economic Development in Worcester is “working on a plan” to put it on the market by 2011.

The reality of holding on to the historic but run down auditorium is in some ways similar to the city’s challenges with the Worcester Regional Airport that made it make more sense to sell to MassPort.  Renovating the structure would cost millions and even now the city has to continue to pay for maintenance and the running of the building which as of right now is mainly used for file storage for the Massachusetts State Trial Court.

Hopefully there will be a good number of interested buyers.  Robert Antonelli of the DPW states in the NECN story that “the architecture of the building has caught the eye of some developers and the he regularly gives tours because there is interest out there.”

Revitalization of the Lincoln Square area would be great for Worcester as it is a gateway into the city depending on where you are coming from into Worcester.

Here is the NECN story: