May 4th - 11th 2025
What is Jane Week?
Jane Week gives Worcester residents and visitors a chance to connect to each other, explore Worcester by foot and participate in interesting discussions on how we can enhance the design and function of our city. The event is named for Jane Jacobs, an urban theorist and activist who championed a community-based approach to city building. Worcester’s Jane Week joins an international movement that occurs in May in over 250 cities across the world. All tours are free and open to the public. Sorry, no dogs (except service dogs) are allowed on walking tours.
Jane Week Partners
Who Was Jane Jacobs?
Jane Jacobs (1916–2006) was an
American-born writer and activist best known for her writings about cities. Her first book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961), upended the ideas of modernist city planning and building, and offered a new vision of diverse, fine-grained cities made for and by ordinary people. She published six more major books about cities, economics, ethics, governance and culture.
Schedule of Events
Community Preservation in Worcester
Monday, May 5
1:00 – 2:30 PM
Program at Salisbury House, 61 Harvard Street
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​Join us for an overview of Worcester’s new Community Preservation Program! With the passage of the Community Preservation Act in 2022, Worcester created a Community Preservation Fund to support locally proposed projects in Historic Preservation, Open Space and Recreation, and Community Housing. Anyone can propose a project! Learn more about what projects are eligible, how applications are scored, and where to apply. There will be time for project brainstorming and Q&A. The presentation is led by Community Preservation Manager Jacquelyn Burmeister from the City of Worcester Office and Economic Development.
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Take a Hike in Worcester’s Newest Open Space - St. George Forest!
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Monday, May 5
4:00 - 5:00 PM
Rain date Thursday, May 8
Meet in the parking lot of Indian Hill Park, 165 Ararat Street
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Join us for a nature walk at the City’s newest piece of conservation land. The City of Worcester partnered with Greater Worcester Land Trust to purchase St. George Forest in 2024. Come learn about how & why the property was acquired and experience the urban forest and wetlands along a short loop trail on the ~14 acre property. The walk will be led by Eric Flint and Mattie VandenBoom, the City of Worcester’s Conservation Commission’s staff. Note on accessibility: The trail is an uneven footpath with some moderate slopes.
Limit 20
Crown Hill - Worcester's Oldest Residential Neighborhood
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Monday, May 5
5:00 PM-6:00 PM
Meet at the corner of Pleasant and Oxford Street
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Hidden right on the edge of downtown, Crown Hill is a beautifully preserved neighborhood of mid-19th century middle class dwellings. Learn about the Greek Revival style and find out about Crown Hill’s 1970s restoration and the recent establishment of the Crown Hill Local Historic District. The tour is led by Preservation Worcester docent Randy Bloom.
Limit 20
​Goddard House: The Birthplace of the Space Age
Tuesday, May 6
12:00 - 1:00 PM
Meet at 1 Tallawanda Drive
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​Dr. Robert H Goddard is known as the father of the space age. Along with his wife, Esther, their research led to the development of the world's first liquid-fuel rocket which ushered in the modern space age. His multigenerational home, built in 1825, at 1 Tallawanda Dr, was recently saved from destruction by the nonprofit THE WONDER MISSION. Their house is now the first stop on “The National Space Trail” and serves as a museum/library/Goddard resource center to be used to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, explorers, and those who dream big. Please join us for a short tour and presentation on Robert and Esther’s significance and legacy.
Limit 20
Woodland, May, and Main Street Walking Tour
Tuesday, May 6
4:00 – 5:00 PM
The tour will start at the front porch of the Cohen-Lasry House, 11 Hawthorne Street.
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Musicians, manufacturers, a laundress and a Swedish immigrant - the history of this neighborhood is remarkable not just because of its many examples of distinctive architecture, but because of the colorful stories of the men and women who initially shaped it. Join Clark’s student docents for a walking tour that takes us back in time to the Gilded Age of the late 19th century. Hear about the homes, their inhabitants, and the community’s change over time!
Limit 20
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A City for People: Reorienting Parking Policy
Tuesday, May 6
4:00 PM
Park View Room, 230 Park Ave
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​Parking minimums in Worcester are the result of decades of parking development in the City, though they are by no means unique to it. This panel of experts will explore the historical development and impact of parking policy in Massachusetts communities and modern updates to facilitate urban growth.
Limit 70
Major Taylor Museum Tour
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Wednesday, May 7
2:00 PM
Meet in the Museum at 2 Main Street
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Major Taylor Museum Director Sharon Freed will lead a museum tour where you will learn about the extraordinary life and trailblazing career of champion bicycle racer and Worcester legend Marshall “Major” Taylor.
Limit 25
Beacon Street Area Architectural History & Affordable Housing Walking Tours
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Join City of Worcester staff, Senior Historic Preservation Planner Michelle Johnstone and Affordable Housing Trust Fund Manager Jeanette Tozer for a two-part series exploring the then, now, and tomorrow of the Beacon Street neighborhood.
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Part 1: Then & Now
Beacon Street Area Architectural History Walking Tour
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Wednesday, May 7
12:00 PM-1:00 PM
Meet at the Corner of Main St and Hermon St
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Join Michelle Johnstone, Senior Historic Preservation Planner for the City of Worcester, for a walking tour that will explore the industrial architectural past of the Beacon Street neighborhood. Traversing an approximately 0.75-mile generally flat route, the tour will highlight extant and vanished places on Beacon, Lagrange, Hermon, Jackson, and Main Streets. Participants will learn about the history of manufacturing in this largely architecturally intact enclave of the City and will gain insight into those who worked and lived in the neighborhood.
Limit 20
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Part 2: Then & Now
Beacon Street Area Affordable Housing Walking Tour
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Wednesday, May 7
1:00 PM-2:00 PM
Meet at the Corner of Main St and Hermon St
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​Explore the transformation of the Lagrange/Jackson/Hermon Streets neighborhood on this guided walking tour of affordable housing development projects. Led by Jeanette Tozer, Affordable Housing Trust Fund Manager for the City of Worcester, this tour highlights how historic mill buildings and new construction are expanding housing opportunities in the city. Stops will include 24 Jackson Street, 17 Hermon Street, and Lagrange Lofts, featuring mixed-income and accessible units. Learn about the city’s efforts to create affordable housing options while experiencing firsthand the revitalization of this evolving neighborhood.
Limit 20
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Jewish East Side Walking Tour
Wednesday, May 7
5:00 – 7:00 PM
Meet at 72 Providence Street
Enjoy a walking tour led by Moe Bergman, Preservation Worcester Docent, City Councilor, and attorney. Until the 1950s, East Side’s Union Hill was the locus of Worcester’s large Jewish immigrant community. Re-experience the history of this ethnic neighborhood with stops at former synagogues, a neighborhood ritual bathhouse and even the site of famous anarchist Emma Goldman’s ice cream shop.
Limit 20
Worcester Memorial Auditorium Tour
Thursday, May 8
2:00 PM and 2:45 PM
Worcester Memorial Auditorium, 2 Highland Street
Enter the Auditorium through the Institute Road entrance
Jane Week provides a rare opportunity to enter one of the city’s landmark structures. The tour will be led by Jake Sanders, Architectural Heritage Foundation Project Executive who is the lead person for the renovation and redevelopment of the Worcester Memorial Auditorium. The tour will include the main Auditorium Hall, the front lobby and the spectacular second floor Memorial Hall.
Tour limit 20 people per tour.
The building is not handicap accessible. Sturdy shoes are required as areas of the floor are bowing. There are no working bathrooms.
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Reservations for the 2:00 PM tour
Reservations for the 2:45 PM tour​
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Moving in Main South
Thursday, May 8
4:00 – 6:00 PM
Meet at Main South Community Development Corporation, 875 Main Street
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Join staff from the Department of Transportation and Mobility and the Main South Community Development Corporation for a walking tour and discussion of the Main South neighborhood. Learn about the unique history, challenges, and opportunities of one of Worcester’s busiest and important corridors and the vibrant neighborhood that surrounds it. Staff will discuss how the City and neighborhood groups are working together to calm traffic, beautify public spaces, and promote economic development in this area.
Limit 25
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Explore a Miyawaki Forest in Worcester
Thursday, May 8
4:00 – 5:00 PM
Meet in Worcester Public Library parking lot at 3 Salem Street
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Join the Department of Sustainability and Resilience and community advocate, Evelyn Herwitz, for a guided tour of one of the City’s first Miyawaki Forests, planted in spring 2024 with the help of over 100 community volunteers. The Miyawaki Method is a groundbreaking reforestation approach that creates dense, biodiverse native forests - growing quickly and providing valuable ecological and human health benefits. Discover how this tiny but mighty forest is transforming the very urban landscape in the heart of the city and learn how you can be part of future efforts to green our city. Stay after the talk to volunteer and help with the maintenance of this young forest.
Limit 25
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Lincoln Square Walking Tour
Thursday, May 8
4:00 - 5:00 PM
Meet at Salisbury House parking lot, 61 Harvard Street
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​The Worcester Memorial Auditorium, the old Worcester County Court House, and the Salisbury Mansion and Salisbury House form an imposing gateway to the city along the side of Lincoln Square and North Main Street. Take a close-up look at these buildings and learn about their history. Discover how this section of Worcester has changed over time and find out about important events that took place here and hear about people who populated these buildings. The tour will be led by Preservation Worcester docent Andrew Noone
Limit 20
Inside Mechanics Hall: History and the Hook Organ
Thursday, May 8
1:00 - 2:30 PM
Mechanics Hall, 321 Main Street
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Join us for a guided tour of Mechanics Hall, Worcester’s treasured landmark and architectural gem. As part of this special tour, Mechanics Hall Principal Organist Peter Krasinski will provide a live demonstration and discussion on The Worcester Organ, the Hall’s historic tracker pipe organ, known as The Hook Organ. Built in 1864, this magnificent instrument remains one of the finest surviving examples of its kind. Experience its power and grandeur as Peter Krasinski shares insights into its history, mechanics, and breathtaking sound.
Limit 20
From Factory to Store to Neighborhood: Worcester's Whittall Mill Complex, 1870-2025
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Thursday, May 8
5:30 - 6:30 PM
Acoustic Java, 6 Brussels Street
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Since 1870, the buildings of Worcester's Whittall Mill complex have been solid, handsome, economically viable, and useful to a broad cross-section of the community. In this 40-minute presentation, Preservation Worcester docent Alan Petrillo explores the fascinating history and evolution of this Worcester and New England landmark. Along the way, he highlights the qualities of design and construction that have helped the property thrive for 150+ years – and now that the complex has been sold to Holy Cross affords it the potential to become an even more vibrant and essential part of Worcester’s ongoing resurgence. The program will be held in Acoustic Java which is in the heart of the historic Whittall Mill complex.
Limit 50
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Elm Park Local Historic District Walking Tour
Friday, May 9
12:00 PM
Meet at 10 Cedar Street
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​Join Preservation Worcester docent Ana Santos Restivo for a walking tour through the historic Elm Park neighborhood, Worcester’s fourth and largest local historic district. The tour will trace the development of the land once belonging to the Lincoln family, focusing on Levi Lincoln, Jr., Worcester’s first mayor, Massachusetts’ 13th governor, U.S. Congressman, and all-around exemplary Son of Worcester. We will step back in time to envision what the Lincoln Tract of land looked like as the family sold off land parcels for development, including Elm Park. The tour will showcase excellent examples of popular architectural styles paired with brief historical narratives of those who inhabited them. The tour will take at least one hour.
Limit 20
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Worcester Renaissance Market
Friday, May 9
2:00 - 8:00 PM
Rockland Trust Plaza, 45 Green St
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This vibrant market features a variety of local vendors offering delicious food, refreshing beverages, artisan crafts, and more! It’s a great opportunity to support local businesses and enjoy the lively atmosphere of the Plaza. With the market coinciding with our Junior Urban Planners event, families can enjoy an afternoon of creativity followed by a delightful shopping and dining experience.
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Every Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday from 12-8pm
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Junior Urban Planners: Build Your Mini City
Friday, May 9
5:00 PM
Rockland Trust Plaza, 45 Green St
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A family fun event at Rockland Trust Plaza! This engaging, hands-on experience invites kids of all ages to explore the exciting world of urban planning. Participants will work in teams to design and construct their own mock cities, learning about community building and the principles of vibrant neighborhoods inspired by the principals of Jane Jacobs. With guidance from local volunteers and urban planners, children will unleash their creativity while collaborating to create a city that reflects their vision for the future. This event is free and open to the public, making it a perfect family outing!
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