'Large loss for the city': Austin St. carriage house leveled after early morning fire Sunday
WORCESTER — Construction equipment remained visible Monday at the site of an Austin Street carriage house that was leveled following an early morning fire Sunday.
One person was injured at the scene of the fire and later released from a hospital, Assistant Chief Adam Roche said. No firefighters were injured.
The carriage house was behind a historic building at 114 Austin St., known as the Rufus Chase House. The house was previously featured on Preservation Worcester's endangered buildings.
Preservation Worcester Executive Director Deborah Packard said the the house had been featured on the list for the following years: 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
The Fire Department responded to a report of a building fire at 114 Austin St close to 3:15 a.m., Roche said. The fire went to two alarms and was under control within 20 minutes, Roche said.
The city's building commissioner was called to the scene and determined that the building should be demolished. Photos and videos from the scene show that the carriage house had sustained significant damage and its foundation appeared weak.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Roche said the carriage house was vacant at the time when firefighters arrived, but it appears that it was used by squatters.
Carriage houses are considered endangered buildings in the city by Preservation Worcester and were listed along with barns in their 2023 list of endangered buildings, Packard said, with 114 Austin St. one of the carriage house photos on the list.
"Any loss of a carriage house is what we would consider a large loss for the city," Packard said.
The 114 Austin St. building is also located in the Crown Hill Local Historic District.
Carriage houses are outbuildings near a larger home, becoming popular in the mid-1800s but obsolete by the 1920s.
Carriage houses have evolved to serve as garages or offices, but they often are neglected because zoning laws make it difficult to convert them to rental properties.
Preservation Worcester advocates for zoning ordinances to allow carriage houses and barns be used for residential use to provide a less expensive housing alternative.
The Rufus Chase House is an 1863 Greek Revival style house and Preservation Worcester has described it as "an example of the better residential architecture constructed in the Crown Hill neighborhood during the mid-19th century."
The house was originally owned by Rufus Chase and his wife, Adeline, after they came to Worcester from Hubbardston. After Adeline’s death, Chase converted the building so it could house two families.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Austin St. carriage house leveled after early morning fire Sunday
