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Worcester, like many Massachusetts towns and cities, has an historic town common at its center. Worcester Common was created in 1669 with 20 acres (12 ha). The city's development has since shrunk that to 4.4 acres (1.8 ha). Worcester Common is undergoing a renovation to add newer and bigger sidewalks in addition to more seating areas.
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60-foot (18-m) monument built in 1874 in honor of Worcester's Civil War dead.
Worcester City Hall is a sight to see. Built in 1898 at the height of Worcester's industrial prominence, City Hall was built in the Italianate style and has an imposing granite exterior.
Is known to locals as "Turtle-Boy". The fountain features a boy and a turtle engaged in what any reasonable observer would have to conclude is an obscene -- or at least nonconsensual -- act. Not many, if any, people know what it truly represents, so judge for yourself.
2300-seat theater. The Hanover was built in 1904 as Franklin Square Theater and hosted Burlesque acts and travelling Broadway shows. It was soon converted to a movie theater and stayed in business until 1998. After a lengthy fundraising campaign, it reopened in 2008 and was named after a local insurance company which provided seed funding. Today it has returned to its roots as a space for live performances, hosting prominent speakers and Broadway shows.
Over 14,000-seat arena. Convention facilities, concerts, trade shows, sporting events. Most major acts passing through the area will perform at the DCU Center.
Pre-Civil War era concert hall. Grand Hall seating 1,600. Concerts (classical, jazz, popular music), lectures, business meetings. Mechanics Hall was built in 1857 by the workers of Worcester for educational and cultural activities. In 1864, the Hook Organ was installed and it is now the oldest unaltered four keyboard organ in the Western Hemisphere. The hall fell into disrepair in the 20th century and was almost torn down during a wave of urban renewal. It was saved and restored in the late 1970s.