School Architecture

Old Killingly High School // 1908

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The Old Killingly High School is located in a densely built residential neighborhood east of downtown Danielson, a village of Killingly, Connecticut. The building has served the community for well over 100 years, but through various uses. The school was built in 1908 and enlarged with side wings in 1927. It was considered state of the art for its time, with fireproof construction, wide hallways, and large bands of windows to maximize lighting of the classrooms. Clearly showcasing the village’s wealth and hope for future prosperity. The school was even designed by Hartwell, Richardson & Driver, a leading architectural firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. The building served as the community’s high school until 1965, and as its junior high school 1966–90 until it was converted to a community center and police station for the town. The Renaissance Revival style building is a gem and while tucked away off the main street, it shines through some great maintenance and restoration from the town.

S Road Schoolhouse // 1860

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The S Road Schoolhouse is the last-remaining one-room schoolhouse in the charming coastal town of South Bristol, Maine. The structure was built in 1860 as the District Five School for the Town of Bristol (South Bristol set off and incorporated as a separate town in 1915). This building replaced an earlier schoolhouse on the site that was on the 1857 Map of Lincoln County. By 1895, enrollment was about 16 but rose to the mid-twenties after other schools closed in the early 1900’s. The school is said to have closed in 1943 following the death of the teacher here, it never reopened. The South Bristol Historical Society recently restored the building following a successful capital campaign, gathering funds from members and town citizens, preserving this lasting remnant of days past.

David A. Ellis School // 1932

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In the early decades of the 20th century, Boston’s population grew to a point that existing infrastructure was becoming an issue. The Boston School Committee as a result, acquired sites via eminent domain, and built ten new school buildings citywide in 1932 alone! The City of Boston acquired this site a decade earlier, but finally broke ground on the David A. Ellis Elementary School in 1931 from plans by architect Ralph Templeton Cushman Jackson. The building is a rare example of a Art Moderne style school building in Boston, and it was named for David Ellis (1873–1929), former chairman of the School Committee. The brick building stands out for its brickwork and sections of terracotta tiles in geometric designs. They don’t make them like they used to.

Former Notre Dame Parochial School // 1898

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Located next door to the former Notre Dame Roman Catholic Church in North Adams, Massachusetts, this stunning former school building stopped me in my tracks. The sad fact is that the former school is seemingly vacant makes me really sad and concerned for the future of the building. This beauty was constructed in 1898 to serve as a school associated with the Notre Dame Roman Catholic Church located to its east. Local architect Edwin Thayer Barlow, who formerly worked with Carrere and Hastings, designed the building in the Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival styles, both popular at the time. The school remained in operation until the 1968-1969 school year, after several years of declining enrollment. The City of North Adams leased the school beginning in the 1969-1970 school year to relieve overcrowding at the public schools. In 2008, the City of North Adams purchased the school and church properties from the Springfield Roman Catholic Church Diocese after the church closed in 2005, but no plans have yet materialized to restore the beauties. What would you like to see this building converted into?

Pequot School // 1917

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The Pequot School in Fairfield was built in 1917-18 and is one of only a few institutional buildings erected in the Southport area during the early twentieth century. The school, designed by architect William H. McLean, replaced an earlier school on the site which was built in 1854. The 1854 wood-frame school building was outgrown in the early 20th century and the school board voted to demolish the old building and replace with a larger, modern school. The school is a unique design in the Classical Revival realm, but capped with a cupola and stunning green tile roof. The school closed in 1972, and the historic Pequot School building was acquired by the Southport Conservancy as a treasured landmark. It was occupied by the town until 1985 when it was occupied by the Southport School.