Becker College’s Worcester campus so blends into its neighborhood west of downtown someone could pass through and, if it weren’t for the blue Becker banners on a few dozen buildings, barely notice it’s a campus at all.
But how seamlessly Becker’s roster of late 19th-century and early 20th-century buildings fit amid the blocks of shaded streets just off Elm Park puts pressure on Worcester and Becker to ensure the buildings find new useful life after the school closes after the spring semester.
“They are extremely important properties in the city,” said Deborah Packard, the executive director of Preservation Worcester, an advocacy group for historic preservation.
WORCESTER Clark University plans to continue using parts of Becker College’s Worcester campus as it takes over the closing institution s video game programs next year.
Clark President David Fithian said Clark intends to lease both Becker’s Colleen C. Barrett Center at 80 Williams St. and Weller Academic Center at 61 Sever St. The university may also lease a residence hall in the area, depending on how many students enroll in the program next year.
The arrangement will allow students who are currently pursuing a gaming degree at Becker to be able to continue their studies at the campus.
Clark, meanwhile, plans to configure its existing Main Street campus to eventually subsume the program, which it is calling the Becker School of Design & Technology.