Recent Initiatives

Historic House Sign Program

The Historic House Sign Program was launched by the Commission in June 2014 to enhance the appearance of older homes and promote community awareness of our local history. The Commission reviews applications at monthly meetings and then submits orders to Ould Colony Artisans for production. Historical data on most of Southborough’s historical properties can be found on the Massachusetts Historical Commission’s site. Most homes built prior to WWII should qualify.

Participation in the Historic House Sign Program does not limit your property in any way. The cost is $62.

South Union School

South Union School was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.  Located at 21 Highland Street, the two-story brick, cast stone, and wood Classical Revival building was designed by Frank Irving Cooper of the Boston architectural firm Cooper & Bailey, and built in 1911 and 1912. The school was built to consolidate the schooling of the town's elementary school students from the nearby Cordaville and Southville villages. It closed its doors as school in 1970, and in 1981 became home to the Southborough Cultural Arts Center.

Peter’s High School Annex

Peter’s High School Annex was saved from demolition in 2009. This 1930 building is all that remains of one of the hubs of activity at Southborough Center from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century, the Peters High School complex. Designed by Charles M. Baker of Boston (formerly of Marlborough,) who had recently designed the 1926 fire station at 5 Main Street, it was built as an elementary/primary school serving the center of town.

The former Peters High School Annex was eligible for the National Register at the local level under Criterion A for its association with Southborough's community and educational life. It is all that remains of the complex of attached and freestanding buildings associated with Southborough's high school, which was established in 1859, replaced in 1900, and enlarged twice over the early part of this century. The building also meets Criterion C as a well-preserved example of municipal Federal Revival architecture of the 1930s, designed by architect Charles Baker, and little altered on the exterior by its conversion to the town Police Station in 1971. For all the above reasons the building is also eligible as a contributing property in a National Register district encompassing the historic residential and institutional meetinghouse center of the town. The property retains the integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, setting, and association.