The Trustees of Clark University in Worcester have sold for $1.8 million two 19th-century residences the school had been using as offices.
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The Trustees of Clark University in Worcester have sold for $1.8 million two 19th-century residences the school had been using as offices.
Clark sold the properties at 16 and 18 Claremont St. in Worcester’s Main South neighborhood in a deal finalized on June 16, according to the Worcester District Registry of Deeds. The parcels contain the Norcross Brothers Houses, two historic residences constructed in 1878.
The properties were purchased by Worcester-based Maverick Real Estate Investment. Owned by Nicholas Lewis, the firm invests in residential and commercial properties, including residential sites near Clark.
Lewis is planning to convert the buildings back into residences, and he plans on maintaining the buildings’ historic features, he said.
The houses had been previously used as dormitories, later becoming offices for Clark’s George Perkins Marsh Institute and Jeanne X. Kasperson Research Library, according to an archived version of Clark’s website. The Marsh Institute now lists its offices at the university’s Arthur M. Sackler Sciences Center.
Jim Keogh, associate vice president for university communications, confirmed the sale of the historic buildings.
Known as the Norcross Brothers Houses, the sites were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The houses are an example of Queen Anne architecture, with sandstone exteriors, sandstone facades, and intricate wood paneling, according to the buildings’ NRHP listing.
The houses were constructed by James and Orlando Norcross, founders of Norcross Brothers, Contractors and Builders, which built Trinity Church in Boston, according to the Massachusetts Historical Commission.
Located on one parcel together, 16-18 Claremont St. received a 2026 assessment of $1.6 million, according to City of Worcester property records.
The sale of Norcross Brothers Houses comes after Clark sold the site of Peppercorn’s Grille and Tavern to the restaurant’s owners for $1 million in December. That sale came as the university sought to focus on institutional priorities.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the real estate and banking & finance industries.
