Central Mass. by the Numbers

Worcester Telegram & Gazette
·3 min read
The DCU Center.
The DCU Center.

$1.8M

It was called the Centrum when Frank Sinatra took the stage on Sept. 2, 1982. In 2005, Worcester's downtown arena, then known as Worcester Centrum Centre, got its current name: the DCU Center. The label will go unchanged for at least another three years. Marlborough-based DCU (Digital Credit Union), the City of Worcester and arena managers ASM Global announced Tuesday that renaming rights have been extended. DCU will pay a base fee of $1.8 million for the three-year agreement. The deal includes incentives. The arena is owned by the city.

Marfel Melendez, owner of Ila Verde.
Marfel Melendez, owner of Ila Verde.

420

For Marfel Melendez, healthy food and her Dominican roots have always been important in her life. The 29-year-old has combined the two at Ila Verde, a restaurant with focus on bowl-style foods in a Caribbean-inspired restaurant, which opened Monday. Melendez said the restaurant will have vegan and pescatarian items that will be prepared by a staff of three. Located inside 420 Main St., once the location of a jeweler, the restaurant will be located along the same sidewalk with where the Owl Shop did business for more than seven decades and where a Latino-owned bakery La Central opened in late 2022.

David Clark Company building on Franklin Street in Worcester.
David Clark Company building on Franklin Street in Worcester.

360

The David Clark Co. is planning to move from its manufacturing facility at 360 Franklin St. to a "more modern and efficient facility," according to a communication from the city Executive Office of Economic Development. The company and its affiliate DCH Properties LLC plan to move to a vacant 138,472-square-foot facility at 115 Northeast Cutoff. The project would include renovating the space and creating 20,000 square feet of office space for company headquarters, 88,370 square feet for manufacturing space and 30,102 square feet for warehouse and storage space. The company Monday confirmed it is in the early stages of moving to Northeast Cutoff.

A view from Top Of The Tower looking southeast across the Worcester Common and City Hall.
A view from Top Of The Tower looking southeast across the Worcester Common and City Hall.

24

From the 24th floor of the Glass Tower, the gleaming giant at 446 Main St. that tends to change colors depending on the day’s weather, floor-to-ceiling windows open up to a 360-degree view that reaches as far as Wachusett Mountain. The vantage point and the floor below it — a total of 10,000 square feet — recently reopened as a function space under the name Top of the Tower, following about $2 million in renovations by owner Synergy Investments. Across the two spaces on the 24th and 23rd floors, the Top of the Tower has a capacity of 275 people

Marlborough-based developers Whitney Street Home Builders presented a 40B project Tuesday morning during a gathering at an 8.55-acre plot on Perry Place. On hand were town officials, including the town manager and the police and fire chiefs.
Marlborough-based developers Whitney Street Home Builders presented a 40B project Tuesday morning during a gathering at an 8.55-acre plot on Perry Place. On hand were town officials, including the town manager and the police and fire chiefs.

152

A Marlborough-based developer is looking to build a 152-unit affordable housing project at the end of Perry Street in Auburn and parallel to Interstate 290 South. The engineering team working for Whitney Street Home Builders presented the project Tuesday during a gathering at the 8.55-acre plot. On hand were town officials, including the town manager and the police and fire chiefs. Plans show that the project will comprise three buildings, three to four stories, with 16 to 24 units per floor. The developers also propose 240 parking spots and a lawn area to be used as a dog park.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Central Mass. by the Numbers