Nomination for Peabody School

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NPS Form 10-900 (3-82) OMB No. 1024-0018 Expires 10-31-87 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 SEP 2 5 1986 date entered OCT 2 3 1986 historic The Peabody School and or common same 2. Location street & number 170 Salem Street N/A not for publication city, town Haverhill N/A vicinity of state Massachusetts 3.

Classification code 025 county Essex code 009 Category district X building(s) structure site object Ownership -public i private both Public Acquisition N/A in process being considered Status - occupied _ unoccupied work in progress Accessible X yes: restricted yes: unrestricted no Present Use - agriculture commercial educational entertainment - government industrial - military _ museum -park X private residence religious scientific transportation _ other: 4. Owner of Property name Various -- See Owners' List street & number city, town N/A vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Essex County Registry of Deeds street & number 32 Federal Street city, town Salem 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Massachusetts Historical Commission title Inventory state Massachusetts has this property been determined eligible?

_ yesXno date November 30, 1984 _ tederal X state _ county depository for survey records Massachusetts Historical Commission, 80 Boylston Street _ local city, town Boston state Massachusetts 7. Description The Peabody School, Haverhil1, Massachusetts Condition _ excellent Xgood fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one X _ unaltered - altered Check one originalsite moved date Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

The Peabody School, built in 1895, is a red brick structure located in the part of Haverhill that was formerly the town of Bradford. The schoolhouse, which faces south onto Salem Street, remains in a semirural setting. To the ast and northeast of the school lies Elm wood Cemetery. oriainally farmland elongng t t keabdy family, whose farmhouse still stands at 172 Salen Street. A residential area adjoins the property to the west. The school is set back about 40 feet from Salem Street, on a lot of approximately 1 1/2 acres that slopes gently from south to north. The school grounds are bounded on the west and south by a stone wall, built in 1937 as a W.P.A. project. The school is an imposing structure, designed in a restrained version of Victorian Romanesque that befitted a municipal building.

The 2 1/2 story school is built into the hillside, with a fully exposed basement visible on the rear, northern side. The building is capped by a hipped roof of dark gray slate, intersected in the center of the front facade by a projecting gable. rectangular chimey rises from the center of the roof, and a cornice of corbelled brickwork with modillion blocks runs along the roofline. The front (south) facade is symmetrical and consists of a central pavilion, incorporating the gable, and flanking bays. Six long wood-framed 4/4 windows, grouped in pairs by common sills and lintels, characterize the first and second floors of the pavilion. On the basement level, six smaller 4/4 windows also have sills and lintels of granite. The central gable is pierced with three short 4/4 windows--two narrow windows flanking a single wider one--that are united by a common granite sill and lintel.

A granite inset inscribed with the words "Peabody School" lies between the first and second floors in the center of the facade. The bays flanking the center pavilion are slightly set back. Each contains a single round-arched window on the second floor placed close to the pavilion and, projecting forward from the plane of the center pavilion and directly beneath the window, a flat-roofed single-story entry porch. The porches feature boldly arched openings. Two granite steps lead up to the wooden double doors which, like the windows, have granite sills and !intels, and which are recessed within the arches. The porches are embellished with a band of corbelling, beneath which is a recessed panel and a brick string course. Decorative corbelling also enframes the arch, and a string course of granite corresponds to the first floor window sills on the central section of the facade.

The east and west facades are three bays deep, with six long, narrow window openings symmetrically arranged. All have granite sills and lintels. continued NPS Form 10-800-8 (3-82) United States Department of the interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form The Peabody School Continuation sheet Haverhill. Massachusetts item number OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 7 Page 1 Basement windows are progressively longer from south to north, reflecting the building's rear-sloping site. The cornice and a brick string course above the basement windows are the only ornamentation on these facades. The rear (north) facade lacks the projecting gable and pavilion of the front. Because of the slightly sloping grade of the site, this facade has three full stories.

Eight windows and two doors on the basement level are arranged with two windows on each end, and the doors on either side of the central four windows. The first and second floors each have a central window, flanked by six banded windows. As on the other facades, these windows have wood sashes and granite sills and lintels. A steel skeletal frame used on this facade made possible the greater area of glazing, which provided desirable north light to the classrooms. The interior of the school is divided into 3 1/2 stories, including the basement. The first and second floors are symmetrical in plan, with two classrooms along the north facade and an entry/landing hallway along the south facade. The hallways were repartitioned ca. 1920 when bathrooms and janitor's closets were added. The basement level houses two restrooms and storage areas.

An attic story is created by the central gable; access is by a stairway on the east end of the second-story landing hall. The interior retains much of its original wainscotting. The building has been recently rehabilitated following the Secretary of Interior's standards for rehabilitation and now serves as residential space. Archaeology While no prehistoric sites are currently recorded on the property, it is possible that sites may be present. Several sites have been reported within the immediate area, especially on the Merrimack River. Given the large lot size and rural use of the land prior to the construction of the school, the potential for site survival is good, despite some previous disturbance. Any surviving sites would be significant in helping to document the pattern of prehistoric occupation in this part of Haverhill.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Significance The Peabody School, Haverhil1, Massachusetts Period prehistoric 1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 1700-1799 1800-1899 1900 Areas of Significance - Check and justify below - archeology-prehistoric - community planning - archeology-historic conservation x -agriculture . economics - 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 X other (specify) Community Development Specific dates 1895 Builder

Statement of significance

/Architect C. Willis Damon Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) The Peabody School retains integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Built in 1895, the building holds historical associations with the growth of Bradford (now part of Haverhill), a prosperous residential community for Haverhill manufacturers in the late 19th The imposing Romanesque Revival-style school is a well-conceived reflection of the educationaltheory of the period, with its concern for health, lighting, and thoughtful design. The Peabody School fulfils Criteria A and C of the National Register of Historic Places on the local level. The town of Bradford (annexed to Haverhill in 1897) was originally part of the Rowley Plantation, settled in 1639, and served as agricultural land for that community.

In 1672, Bradford was established as a separate town, settled primarily by immigrants from the Bradford area of England. The area was still ractond area or Engtand Daniel Hardy, a Bradford resident, began the manufacture of shoes in 170, and thereby established a cottage industry that grew to include most households in the Although shoemaking became an increasingly important part of Bradford's economy, the focus of the industry was across the Merrimack River in Haverhill (established 1645). In 1837, when a railroad bridge was constructed across the river, Bradford's shoe manufacturers moved their plants to Haverhill, and according to a late 19th century local history, "the town has been a quiet place of residence, while its people have been among the most active, industrious and successful in the pursuit of industry.

By the 1870s, Haverhill, on the other hand, was known as the "Queen Shoe City." At the time the railroad crossed the Merrimack, only three streets comprised Bradford--Andover, Salem, and Old Ferry Street. The area's focus evolved from agrarian to residential, and served as a bedroom community for the manufacturers of Haverhill. Although Bradford experienced a rise in population in the second half of the 19th century, this was not due to an influx of immigrants, as in Haverhill's case, for other than domestic service there was little employment to be found there. Rather, the population increase can be attributed to an incremental growth in families and to Haverhill manufacturers and managers who, as they became more prosperous, moved across the river to more suburban Bradford. Bradford was a relatively affluent town throughout the 19th century.

Despite its eventual affluence, Bradford was slow to develop its public school system, and improvements lagged behind those in Haverhill. Bradford Academy, a private school founded in 1803, drew many pupils from wealthy families, but public facilities were minimal. A Bradford resident, Arthur Howard Hall, reminisced about his school days during the Civil War, commenting on "the continued The Peabody School 9.

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References Haverht11. Massachusetts Annual Reports of Bradford School Committee Freeman, Donald C., The History of Education Bradford Town Records in Haverhill, 1970 A City Grows: The Story of Haverhill, 1954 Haverhill Gazette, 1896 10. Geographical Data less than one acre Acreage of nominated property Quadrangle name Haverhill UT M References *119/ |3/310/51501 |47 |316/41110/ Easting Northing LLL E GLULLILLJ LILILLL Verbal boundary description and justification See Assessors' Map Quadrangle scale 1:25,000 B LLILLL LIILL Zone Easting Northing F HLULiLud LilaLud 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 Betsy Friedberg, Preservation Planner, Massachusetts Historical Commission name/title with Frederic Lyman, Preservation Consultant organization Massachusetts Historical Commission date July 1986 street & number 30 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), Ihereby 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 Vaeie lalmage State Historic Preservation Officer title Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Commission date 9|n Be For NPS use only I hereby certify that this property is included in thi National Register Ulaus National Registez date 10/23/86 or of the National Register Attest: Chief of Registration GPO 911-399 date NPS Form 10-800-8 (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National ParkService National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form The Peabody School Continuation sheet Haverhill, Massachusetts Item number ONB Approval No. 1024-0018 8 Page 1 crudeness of the ungraded public school. "2 At that time, there was apparently just one primary school, known as "The Little Brick," and four grammar schools.

Of the grammar schools, only Master's School, located near the Bradford Town Common, seems to have been more than a simple one-room schoolhouse. Even in the Master's School, students from ages 8 to 18 were accomodated in a single large room. As was the case with many rural or semi-rural areas, there were too many small scattered schools, and schools were "therefore poorer than they need have been." A unified and coordinated school system was lacking in Bradford throughout the 1850s and 1860s, and teachers, juffered from inadequate support and untrained or pooriy trained Tuition students from Bradford attended Haverhill High School until 1869, although a high school was established in Bradford in 1866. The expansion of Bradford, corresponding as it did to the rapid growth of Haverhill, eventually led to the construction of new schools.

In 1884, the Greenleaf School, a two-story Italianate structure, was built to house the primary grades as well as town offices (NR 1977). Town records for the year 1890 note that "for a school age children, "5 and accordingly construction was begun on the George Cogswel1 School on South Main Street. At the time of its opening in 1891, only six of the school's eight rooms were utilized, but by 1894, all eight were in use and in danger of overcrowding. The town rented an old engine house on Elm Street to house the fifth grade, and once again construction of a new school building was taken into consideration. Later that year, the decision was made to build a school on Salem Street, in the eastern part of Bradford. Town reports for April 25, 1894, show an appropriation of $15,000, and the Town Meeting voted to name the new school "Peabody" in honor of one of Bradford's oldest families.

The town obtained a 1 1/2-acre parcel of land from John Peabody that had originally been part of his farm, but was being used at the time as drainage land. Considerable expense was incurred in draining and grading the lot, but records report that this expense was more than made up for in the value of the stone found during the excavation of preexisting foundations and fence walls. The School Committee sought to incorporate the latest in design technology to provide pleasant and sanitary schoolrooms through ventilation, lighting, and heating techniques. The introduction of a greater quantity and better quality of light was cited in particular as one of the School Committee's chief objectives. Records of the School Committee report that 192 square feet of light entered through the north windows of the school.

Ventilation was facilitated by outdoor airducts, which reportedly allowed 32 cubic feet/per student/per minute of fresh air to penetrate each classroom. Extra care was taken to heat this air in damp and cold weather. Also noted in this report continued NPS Form 10-800-8 (3-82) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form The Peabody School Continuation sheet Haverhill. Massachusetts Item number Page 2 weee tradisanna olbekeftoseos.Heatiogeandpiumoing sysaeks wehee aseplaced Heating and plumbing systems were also designed using the latest technology. The result of this concern for sanitation was a technologically advanced structure that reflected the town's affluence and growing awareness of public education needs.

The School Committee in the 1896 Town Reports congratulated Bradford on its acquisition of the Peabody School, "which combines more points of excellence for practical school purposes than any other school building in this part of the state. Add to this fact its substantial construction and architectural appearance and we have a building of which the town may well be proud. The committee went on to acknowledge the gift of a flag, made for the school by the Peabody family "in recognition of the honor conferred upon that name by vote of the town placing it upon the Peabody School."9 The Peabody School was the last school constructed by Bradford before the town's annexation by Haverhill in 1897. The architect of the Peabody School, C.

Willis Damon, was a Haverhill resident who was also responsible for the design of a number of late 19th century industrial and commercial properties elsewhere in the city (including several buildings within the Washington Street Shoe NR District, 1976). Very little is known about his training or his career outside of Bradford, but it seems that he was familiar with the structural and stylistic trends of the period. His use of a steel skeletal frame on the north (rear) elevation, which made possible larger areas of glazing, demonstrated his knowledge of technological advances as well as his awareness of educational needs. (The other three walls are of load-bearing masonry construction.) The design of the building is a good example of a Victorian Revival style adapted to a functional plan.

The two entrance porches, which give a Romanesque quality to the front facade, were functionally important as separate entrances for boys and girls, a key concern at the time. The interior was arranged with classrooms on the north side, and pupils sat facing east or west, so that they would receive indirect north light. The Peabody School represents the final phase in the growth of an independent Bradford school system. In 1897, Bradford was officially annexed by the city of Haverhill, which eased overcrowding in Bradford schools. After the turn of the century, other schools were built in Bradford. The Wood School was das Ried by Bamoo lcao503, archttéct unnowntandoetsppedso,9 are architect unknown), both of whose designs echo the concern for light and air evidenced in the Peabody School. continued NPS Form 10-800-8 (3-82) OMB Approval No.

1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form The Peabody School Continuation sheet Haverhill, Massachusetts item number 8 Page 3 The community served by the Peabody School was a stable one, and has changed very little in the years since the school was built. The area is still residential in character and has not been heavily built up. The land to the east and north of the school, formerly part ofthe Peabody farm, is now occupied by Elm Wood Cemetery, but the Peabody Family farmhouse, occupied by a Peabody descendent, still stands at 172 Salem Street as a reminder of the history of the land. Although Bradford has been affected by the decline of the shoe industry since 1930, itnever experienced the economic depression and loss of population that the rest of Haverhill did.

Enrollment at the Peabody School was steady throughout the 1970s, when the school-age populaton as a whole decl1ned. The Peabody School operated continuously as an elementary school until June 1981, when it was closed by the City of Haverhill. The building has stood vacant since then. continued NPS Form 10-800-8 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 (3-82). United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form The Peabody School Continuation sheet Haverhill, Massachusetts Item number 8 ; 10 Page 4 ; 1 NOTES: J.D. Kingsbury, Memorial History of Bradford, 1883 2 Arthur Howard Hall, Old Bradford School Days, 1910 3 Donald C.

Freeman, The History of Education in Haverhill, 1970 4 Unfortunately, when Bradford became a part of Haverhill, many of its records were lost, and so the particulars of the development of the Bradford school system are difficult to trace. See Freeman, The History of Education in Haverhill. 5 Bradford Town Records, 1896 6 Annual Reports of the Bradford School Committee, 1896 7 Bradford Town Records, 1896 8 Bradford Town Records, 1896 9 Bradford Town Records, 1896 Geographic Data: The nomination is confined to the school building and the lot on which it stands, as indicated by the red line on the attached Assessors' Map () ") ARLINGAVE.

LÉONARDAVE ee Plan No 14 The Peabody School 170 Salem Street Haverhill, MA Haverhill Assessors' Map scale: 1" = 100' .- City of Haverhill Assessor's Map (1979) scale: 1" = 100 ftl WASO Form - 177 ("R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET 8600,2900 Peabody School Essex County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner obiection appeal Substantive Review: Reviewer's comments: LJ sample LJrequest SEP 2 51096 Entered National Working No. Fed. Reg. Date: c Date Due: 10/23/06 -11/9/86 Action: _KACCEPT _ 10-23-86 RETURN Boglatso__REJECT- Federal Agency: - LJappeal NR decision Recom./Criteria Reviewer Discipline Date see continuation sheet Nomination returned for: _technical corrections cited below _substantive reasons discussed below 1. Name 2. Location 3.

Classification Category Public Aoauisition 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 L 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 title 13. Other date Maps Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to - Signed Date Phone: . GPO 918-450 Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet Peabody School, Haverhill, MA East and South Facades The PeabodySchool 170 Salen Street Haverhi11, MA late: vuly, 1950 hotograper: Frederick Lyman negatives located at American Landmarks, Inc.

167 Milk Street Boston, MA 02114 #1 of 2 photos view: East and South Facades Peabody Schoo South Facade The Peabody School 170 Salem Street Haverhil1, MA date: July, 1986 photographer: Frederick Lyman negatives located at American Landmarks, Inc 167 Milk Street Boston, MA 02114 #2 of 2 photos view: South Facade P093546 400 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Secretary of State Michael Joseph Connolly, Secretary Massachusetts Historical Commission Valerie A. Talmage ExecutiveDirector State Historic Preservation Officer October 15, 1986 Carol Shull, Keeper National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Department of the Interior P.O. Box 37127 Washington, DC 20013-7127 ATIN: Dolores Byers Dear Ms. Shull: As requested, enclosed please find an owner's list for the Peabody School, 170 School Street, Haverhill, Massachusetts, HPCA pendirg /0786-YA-0807.

If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to call. Sincerely, Sally Zimmerman arah J. Zimmerman Director, Preservation Planning Massachusetts Historical Conmission Enclosure SJZ/dr 80 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116 (617) 727-8470 PEABODY SCHOOL 170 SALEM STREET HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS NATIONAL REGISTER NOMINATION Unit # 204 Units #s 104 and Units #s 101,102 103, 201,202 OWNER'S LIST FOR PEABODY SCHOOL CONDOMINIUMS Howard Zimmerman 19 Driftwood Road Marblehead, MA 01945 David Pierce c/o 2 Bourbon Street Peabody, MA 01960 Charles Scrymgeour 268 Ocean Avenue Marblehead, MA 01945