{"id":8,"date":"2025-04-24T10:57:37","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T14:57:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/university-park-partnership-new\/?page_id=8"},"modified":"2025-04-29T11:12:51","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T15:12:51","slug":"neighborhood","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/university-park-partnership\/neighborhood\/","title":{"rendered":"Neighborhood"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Clark and the Main South neighborhood<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Clark University is a proud member of the Main South neighborhood, a former manufacturing hub that\u2019s now home to family-run restaurants and businesses, schools, parks, and community organizations. Students, faculty, and staff live, shop, eat, play, work, and volunteer here as they embrace the Main South spirit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, the University Park Partnership and the Main South Community Development Corporation, in tandem with other city and community partners, have worked to help this storied Worcester neighborhood emerge from its industrial past to shape a vital present and to plan for an exciting future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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History of Main South<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Main South\u2019s 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 anti-slavery activist, and he sold off his land without developing it to pay for plans to establish Yankee strongholds in states bordering the South.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 that bears 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 multi-unit housing structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The neighborhood thrived until the 1950s, when it began experiencing economic decline similar to that occurring in other New England towns with industrial bases whose residents moved to the suburbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much of the neighborhood\u2019s physical structure was determined prior to the end of the 19th century. Today, splendid Victorian structures, many of them renovated, coexist with traditional three-deckers to house a diverse mix of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, Main South has shown significant momentum through public and private investment, and through its sturdy partnership with Clark University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Clark and Main South intertwine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Businesses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Main Street and Park Avenue are Clark University\u2019s commercial areas. Clark students, faculty, staff, and their Main South neighbors enjoy restaurants and shops within walking distance of campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to the University Park Partnership\u2019s commitment to enhancing commerce in the area, the Main South Community Development Corporation<\/a> has helped administer loans to many neighborhood businesses. The CDC also funded the updating of several blocks of Main Street storefronts.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Housing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Harrington House: Home of Clark\u2019s President<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to the Clark president, the Francis A. Harrington House is located on Woodland Street, a historic area lined with beautiful Victorian houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The University Park Partnership aims to improve the quality of life in Worcester\u2019s Main South neighborhood by encouraging more homeownership and a sense of community. The Clark president lives side by side with Main South neighbors.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Faculty and Staff Housing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In addition to Clark\u2019s president, many Clark faculty and staff live in the Main South neighborhood. As part of the University Park Partnership\u2019s neighborhood revitalization plan, Clark employees may purchase homes in the neighborhood and receive financial assistance for the first five years of ownership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Affordable Housing: the Beacon-Oread Revitalization Project<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

One of the UPP\u2019s success stories is the Beacon-Oread Street Revitalization Project, located a few miles from campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Main South Community Development Corporation <\/a>(CDC) administers and manages the project, targeting a one-block area east of Clark\u2019s campus on Beacon and Oread streets. The CDC renovated several multiple-family houses to provide affordable rental properties for neighborhood residents.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Schools<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Just west of Clark\u2019s campus on Freeland Street is the University Park Campus School (UPCS), a neighborhood school for 7th to 12th graders created through the University Park Partnership in 1997.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flagship school was founded with the mission to provide neighborhood children with a high-quality education.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Clark offers four years of free tuition to UPCS students and other neighborhood public-school students who excel at their studies and meet the University\u2019s admissions requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, UPCS, Clark\u2019s Adam Institute for Urban Teaching and School Practice, and the Worcester Education Partnership collaborate to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n