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The Tornado of 1953 Still Remembered at QCC
June 2020
The tornado of 1953 decimated what was to become QCC's Administration building
The convent at Assumption College (now QCC's Administration building) took the brunt of the F4 Tornado of '53.
A memorial to those who lost their lives in the June 9, 1953 tornado is located on QCC's main campus.
QCC's Administration Building today.
Early evening on June 9, 1953 an F4 tornado ravaged the City of Worcester and the Central Massachusetts region, killing 94 people and injuring close to 1,300. Worcester was one of the hardest hit areas by the deadly tornado. During the 90 minutes it was on the ground in Central Massachusetts, it left a swath of destruction in its wake. At the convent at Assumption College (now Quinsigamond Community College’s Administration Building) the damage was severe, leaving much of the campus in total ruin. According to a report by the Boston Globe, a priest and two nuns were killed and most of the college personnel were injured, some severely.
Today, 67 years later, QCC’s Administration Building bears few remnants of the tornado. A memorial stands on QCC’s main campus as a permanent reminder of those who perished, in what is still considered one of the 25 deadliest tornados in U.S. history.
