Natick Center Historic District

The Natick Center Historic District is a historic district on North Ave., Main, Central, and Summer Streets in Natick, Massachusetts, encompassing the 19th century civic and economic heart of the town. Natick's early colonial center, dating to 1651, was in South Natick, and the area that is now its center was a parcel of land set aside for the minister. It achieved significant prominence with the construction of a meeting house in 1799, and the land was sold off for development in 1812. The railroad arrived nearby in 1835, spurring economic growth. After a fire in 1874 destroyed most of the central business district, the present collection of brick Gothic and Romanesque buildings was constructed.The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.