Nomination for South Main Street School

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NPS Form 10-900 (3-82) OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form See instructions in How to Complete National Register Forms Type all entries-complete applicable sections 1. Name For NPS use only received DEC 6 1984 date entered JAN 3 1985 historic South Main Street School and /or common 2. Location Acushnet Avenue School street & number 11 Acushnet Avenue N/A _ not for publication city, town Springfield N/A vicinity of state Massachusetts 3. Classification Category Ownership district * public Xbuilding(s) .

private structure both site Ryblic Acquisition object in process being considered code 025 county Hampden code 013 Status - occupied X unoccupied _ work in progress Accessible X yes: restricted yes: unrestricted no Present Use - agriculture commercial educational entertainment government industrial military museum park private residence religious scientific X other: transportavacant 4. Owner of Property name City of Springfield street & number 36 Court Street city, town Springfield N/ A_ vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state Massachusetts courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Hampden County Register of Deeds street & number 50 State Street city, town Springfield 6. Representation in Existing Surveys state Massachusetts Inventory of the Historic Assets of title the Commonwealth has this property been determined eligible?

date 1983 #2989 federalX state yes X no - county _ local depository for survey records Massachusetts Historical Commission city, town Boston state Massachusetts 7. Description South Main Street School, Springfield, Massachusetts Condition _ excellent X good .fair .deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one X unaltered altered Check one X original site moved date Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

The South Main Street School faces northwest on the corner of South Main Street and Acushnet Avenue in the midst of a neighborhood that mixes late 19th and early 20th century housing with commercial storefronts. It is located in Springfield's South End, approximately one mile from the city's downtown section. The symmetrically designed South Main Street School is rectangular in plan with a central pedimented entrance pavilion. Two five-bay classroom wings flank this nine-bay central section. Built of brick, the two-story building has finely detailed classical ornamentation of both brick and terra-cotta. The school rests on a granite foundation topped by a brownstone watertable, which acts as a continuous lintel for the high basement windows. A low flight of granite steps leads to the center entrance pavilion on the building's main, northwestern facade.

The two-story building is surmounted by a low hipped roof with central gable. The gable's pediment, trimmed with tin cornice and dentils, contains a lunette. There are four symmetrically placed chimneys and a single roof hatch. The main facade, on Acushnet Avenue, is dominated by the nine-bay central entrance pavilion. The entryway is recessed behind three arched openings separated by brick piers. The piers are rusticated to resemble masonry. First-story window openings surrounding the entry are grouped in pairs and have brownstone sills. A brownstone cornice and frieze separate the above the central doorway. first and second stories of the pavilion, and "1895" is embossed on the frieze inmediately s second story features a nine-bay arcade with brick pilasters, terra-cotta capitals, and arches.

In the arch spandrels are eight decorative medallions, four of which contain masks said to portray Benjamin Franklin. The remaining four have oak-leaf rosettes. Aclassically inspired entablature defines the top of the building. Above, the tin-trimmed pediment contains a tympanum with brick frieze and terra-cotta framed lunette. Flanking the central pavilion are two projecting sections, five bays each, set off by rusticated brick quoining. Rectangular fenestration is capped by shallow keystones, and individual openings are separated by brownstone engaged columns. The bays aresymmetrically aligned. Capping both sections is a low brick balustrade. The school's nine-bay western and eastern facades are framed by brick quoining and capped by brick balustrades. Both have single central windows flanked by four-window groups.

Brownstone engaged columns define each window opening on the western facade, while those on the east are separated bybrick piers and those on the first floor are capped by a brick keystone. The western facade faces Main Street and has decorative metal letters, spelling out the school's name, between the first and second stories. A one-by-four-bay single-story brick addition extends from the rear portion of the eastern side of the building. The symmetrical rear elevation is divided into five sections. Dominating the facade is a slightly projecting nine-bay central portion with fenestration and ornamentation similar to that on the eastern and western facades. Two recessed single-bay sections flank the center. At either end of the building, slightly projecting five-bay sections reflect the arrangement of the main facade.

Roof treatments likewise echo the Acushnet Street facade, with two small gables above the entablature of each of the recessed entrances. The interior retains its original floors, staircases, and much of its woodworking. Particularly noteworthy is the wainscotting in a number of classrooms. NPS Form10-200-a (3-82) OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form For NPS use only received date entered JAN 3 1985 Continuation sheet South Main Street School Item number 7 Page 1 The South Main Street School ceased its function as a fulltime elementary school in the mid 1970s. the building housed special-education classes, but it was vacated in 1982. Future plans call for the school to be converted to housing for the elderly.

Archaeologically, the property has some potential for prehistoric sites. It is based on a southwest facing terrace above the original influence of the Mill and Commission rivers. In terms of historic archaeological potential, builder's trenches and other related con- struction features, evidence of earlier structures, and refuse scatters may be expectea.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Significance South Main Street School, Springfield, Massachusetts Period prehistoric 1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 1700-1799 X - 1800-1899 1900 Areas of Significance-Check and justify below archeology-prehistoric - community planning -X archeology-historic conservation - agriculture economics X architecture X education art engineering commerce exploration/settlement communications industry invention landscape architecture law literature military music philosophy politics/government religion science sculpture social/ humanitarian theater transportation other (specify) Specific dates 1895-1897 Builder

Statement of significance

/Architect Francis R. Richmond Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) The South Main Street School is a well-preserved example of late 19th century schoolhouse architecture displaying Renaissance Revival styling. It is significant as a reflection of Springfield's rapid development in the last decades of the 19th century and as one of the finest remaining 19th century schoolhouses in Springfield. It is a major work of an important local architect of the period, Francis R. Richmond. The school retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, feeling, and workmanship and fulfills criteria A anc C of the National Register of Historic Places on the local level. Springfield's_growth in the late 19th century was unprecedented, with increased urban densit) and industrial development. The formerly sparsely populated South End became a center of inexpensive housing.

Large numbers of immigrants flocked to the South End, attracted in par by the area's proximity to Springfield's industrial center and by its new trolley system. During the 1880s, several new streets were laid out off Main Street and were soon lined with two-family houses. A brick three-room schoolhouse, built ca. 1840 on nearby York Street, was no longer adequate. In 1895, the city purchased the large corner lot at Main Street and Acushnet Avenue from developers A. A. and S. T. Ball. The new school, completed in 1897, offered a vastly increased space for elementary education as well as the most up-to-date concepts of ventilation, heating, and sanitation. The South Main Street School was part of a citywide trend toward building new schools and enlarging and improving existing neighborhood schools in Springfield.

The South Main Street School is an unusually fine and well-preserved example of schoolhouse architecture. It retains its original, high-quality Renaissance Revival-style features. building is a rare schoolhouse design from the later part of the career of Springfield The architect Francis Richmond. Francis R. Richmond (1851-1907) joined the Springfield architectural firm of Perkins and Gardner in 1870. When E. C. Gardner left the firm to set up his own practice in the mid In 1882, Richmond entered into partnership with B. Hammett Seabury, a recent graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The firm of Richmond and Seabury received a number of municipal contracts in Springfield. Surviving examples include the Oak Street (1883), Tapley (1887), and Jefferson Avenue (1888) schools. All feature Richardsonian Romanesque arches, brick and stone masonry, and picturesque massing.

Richmond and Seabury also designed the Queen Anne-style Hale Smith House (1883) and E. S. Sweatland House (1886) in Springfield. The partnership dissolved in 1891, and Richmond established his own practice in Springfield. While his first independent commissions (including the North Main Street Fire Station, 1892, still standing) continued in the same Romanesque style he had favored earlier, Richmond begar to move toward Renaissance Revival styling by the mid 1890s. Symmetry and classically marked this period of Richmond's work and continued until the end of his careeed det addition te the nominated property, other examples include the panei bsick stacy Cowntim (1893; NR 1983), and the Brewer Building (1893), both commercial bufldings in Industrial Institute' (1895)emortar Cnurch Parisn House (894-1895), and the Springfield 9.

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

Major Bibliographical References Municipal Report of the City of Springfield, 1896, 1897 Richmond & Seabury, Springfield Vertical File, Springfield, City Library Springfield, Atlases: 1882, 1899, 1910 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property 33680 sq. ft. Quadrangle name - Springfield South UT M References A 18 Zone 100180 Easting 14962609 Northing E G Quadrangle scale 1:25000 B Zone L, LuL Easting LILILLL Northing LILLLL Verbal boundary description and justification (See Continuation Sheet) List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries state N/A code county code state code county code 11. Form Prepared By name/title Betsy Friedberg, Preservation Planner (MHC), with Edmond P.

Lonergan, Springfield organization Massachusetts Historical Commission date October 1984 street & number 80 Boylston Street telephone (617) 727-8470 city or town Boston state Massachusetts 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: national State X local As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89- 665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service.

State Historic Preservation Officer signature Valuie A.Talmage State Historic Preservation Officer Massachusetts Historicaate CommSterken 161984 For NPS use only I hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register Xllresye Intered Nattonal Hegtsten Keeper of the National Register date 1-3-85- Attest: Chief of Registration date U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1983 0 - 419-311 NPS Form10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet South Main Street School ltem number OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp.

10-31-84 8 For NPS use only received date entered JAN 3 1985 Page 1 Archaeologically, the property has some potential for helping to document the rapid growth of Springfield during the late 19th century, especially the development of immigrant neighborhoods and the role that institional facilities played in this process. NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp.

10-31-84 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form For NPS use only received JAN 3 1985 date entered Continuation sheet South Main Street School i Item number 10 1 Page Beginning at the intersection of the southerly line of Acushnet Avenue with the easterly line of Main Street and running thence easterly 294.14 feet along the said Acushnet Avenue to a bound; thence southerly 130.68 feet to a bound; thence westerly 255.81 feet to the easterly line of Locust Street: thence along the said Locust Street to its junction with Main Street, and along the easterly line of Main Street to the point of beginning, for a total of 123.24 feet. (From Assessors Block Plan 622. Also see Registry of Deeds: Book 502, P. 2; Book 526, P. 354; and Book 552, P. 243).

WASO Form - 177 ("R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET South Main Street School Hampden County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: Reviewer's comments: Lsample - request Working No. DEC Fed. Reg. Date:d# 8C Date Due: //3/$3 - Entered in thection: VACCEPT National RegisteF RETURN REJECT Federal Agency: . Jappeal -NR decision Recom./Criteria Reviewer Discipline Date see continuation sheet 6 1984 1/20/83 1-3-85 Nomination returned for: _technical corrections cited below _substantive reasons discussed below 1. Name 2. Location 3. Classification Category Ownership Public Acquisition 4. Owner of Property 5. Location of Legal Description 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Has this property been determined eligible?

yes no 7. Description Condition excellent good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one - unaltered -altered Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection Status Accessible Present Use Check one - original site moved date 8. Significance Period Areas of Significance-Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other 9. Major Bibliographical References 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property Quadrangle name UTM References Verbal boundary description and justification 11. Form Prepared By 12.

State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: national state local State Historic Preservation Officer signature date title 13. Other Maps Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to - Signed Date _ Phone: - Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet NO EXIT SOUTH MAIN STREET _SouthManstreetSchool IAcushnetAve_ Spfid.MA EdLoneiyan:photog. _ Photo *loEZ Viewot twomain facades: AgushiedAvs. _SouthMainStreet School IAcushnet Ave._ Sptla MA E.Lanergan: photog. _ Photo *20t2 Detail: Main Entrance (Acushnet Ave.) Certified #P284-880-673 LACIDAN The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Secretary of State Michael Joseph Connolly, Secretary Massachusetts Historical Commission Valerie A.

Talmage Executive Director State Historic Preservation Officer November 19, 1984 Ms. Carol Shull, Chief National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Department of the Interior 18th & C Streets, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20240 Dear Ms. Shull: Enclosed you will find the following nomination forms: 1. Anthony House, Adams, MA (local) -2. Baird House, Amherst, MA (state) -3. Bellingham Square Historic District, Chelsea, MA (Tocal) -4. Ezra Carpenter House, Foxboro, MA (local) e 5. Arlington Mills Historic District, Lawrence & Methuen, MA (state & local) St. Patrick's Church, Lowell, MA (local) 28. Schooner Ernestina, New Bedford, MA (national, state & local) Dr. Samuel Warren House, Newton, MA (local) 9. Myrtle Street School, Springfield, MA (local) 10.

South Main Street School, Springfield, MA (local) All have been voted eligible by the State Review Board and have been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. Owners were notified of pending state Review Board consideration 30-75 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment. Comments received to date are attached to the nomin- ation forms. Sincerely, Sarah 8. Zemmermaa Sarah J. Zimmerman Preservation Planning Director Massachusetts Historical Commission SJZ/hi Enclosures 80 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116 (617) 727-8470 Reid 12/6/84