Exhibit Home

Since its completion in 1923, the Higgins House has been a prominent city fixture and architectural emblem of Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s innovative legacy. It originated as the private residence of Aldus Chapin Higgins (1872-1948) and his second wife Mary Sprague Green (1882-1970). Aldus was the eldest of Milton Prince Higgins (1842-1912) and Katherine Chapin (1847-1925). His father was the first superintendent of WPI’s Washburn Shops and co-founder of Worcester’s Norton Company, while his mother was a notable community philanthropist with extensive involvement in developing the state’s Parent-Teacher Associations. Aldus C. Higgins himself, along with Milton and Katherine’s second child, John Woodman Higgins, graduated from Tech. After leaving as a member of the WPI Class of 1893, Aldus went on to earn his law degree from National University Law School in Washinton D.C. He later served as general counsel for Norton Company, in 1933 became company president, and by 1941 was chairman of the board of directors. Aldus remained a lifelong WPI trustee until his passing in 1948.

It was later in life that Aldus C. Higgins first commissioned American architect Grosvenor Atterbury to design a house modeled after the ca. 1525 Compton Wynyates estate in England. He and his wife, Mary, lived together at this remarkable home for 25 years. Aldus having passed in 1948, the structure was bequeathed to WPI upon his wife's death in 1970—not long after which, as one of Worcester’s finest examples of Revival period architecture, it was aggregated to the National Register of Historic Places. This exhibit showcases the estate's history; astounding architectural, landscaping, and decorative detail; and its continued prominence today—both to the WPI community and as a national landmark. The existing lone section on its architectural inspiration and development will soon be joined by more, including one on the Higgins House grounds, the Higgins family and other residents, and one on the estate's many uses since being bequeathed to WPI, including numerous student projects inspired by it. Stay tuned!