A key element in Worcester’s economic development plan for the city’s North Main area has hit a snag.
The state Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) has canceled an auction of the former Worcester County Courthouse, and the property will remain in redevelopment limbo until the state decides on a course of action for the historic edifice.
DCAM canceled the auction after receiving just one submission of qualifications to redevelop the site from an interested developer, Kevin Flanigan, a DCAM deputy director, wrote in an e-mail to Banker & Tradesman. The state agency has not decided what will happen next and is exploring its options, although Flanigan would not give details of those options.
The auction had been scheduled for Jan. 19, and was to have been handled by Worcester-based Berman Auctioneers & Appraisers.
Challenges await any potential investor at the site, according to historic preservation experts and city officials alike. The state was attempting to divest itself of the courthouse at 5 Highland St. (Route 9), built in 1899 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and another building at 2 Main St.
Assuming it goes back on the market, whoever purchases the former courthouse from the state has the potential to raze the structure, as long as the buyer receives approval from the commonwealth’s historical commission. Then, a developer would need to weather a one-year demolition delay imposed by Worcester’s own historic agency. And even if the buyer doesn’t seek to demo the building, they would need to petition the Massachusetts Historical Commission for written approval of any changes to the structure’s historically significant interior or exterior features.
The property consists of approximately 4.47 acres of land, the courthouse of about 110,000 square feet and another structure at 70,000 square feet. The historic courthouse building includes several multi-story courtrooms, as well as many offices.
City officials have identified the site as an important piece of the city’s North Main Economic Development Strategy. The Lincoln Square location is critical as a crossroads for Route 9 and home to several public buildings, as well as the site of commercial space under construction.
