Allegheny High School

For schools with a similar name, see Allegheny High School (disambiguation) and Alleghany High School (disambiguation).

Allegheny High School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
City of Pittsburgh Historic Structure
Pittsburgh Landmark – PHLF
1904 "annex" building
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Location	220 W. Commons St., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	40°27′11″N80°0′32″W / 40.45306°N 80.00889°W / 40.45306; -80.00889
Area	3 acres (1.2 ha)
Built	1904
Architect	Frederick J. Osterling; Marion M. Steen
Architectural style	Classical Revival, Art Deco
MPS	Pittsburgh Public Schools TR
NRHP reference No.	86002643 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	September 30, 1986
Designated CPHS	March 15, 1974 [2]
Designated PHLF	1992 [3]

Allegheny High School is a former high school in the Allegheny Center neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which operated from 1883 to 1983. The school's two surviving buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. ^{[1] [4]} The campus is no longer a high school but is still used by Pittsburgh Public Schools for elementary and middle grades (Allegheny PreK–5 and Allegheny 6–8).

Notable Allegheny High graduates include William N. Robson, award-winning writer, director, and producer from the old-time radio era ^[5] and Dorothy Mae Richardson, an African American community activist whose work was essential to the founding of the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation.

American novelist Willa Cather taught English and Latin at Allegheny High School, where she came to head the English department.

History

Allegheny High School opened in 1883 as the sole high school serving what was then the independent city of Allegheny. ^[6] In 1889, the original frame schoolhouse was replaced with a much larger brick and stone building designed by Frederick J. Osterling. ^{[7] [8]} An annex, also designed by Osterling, was added to the original building in 1904. ^[4] The high school, along with all other schools in the Allegheny City district, became part of Pittsburgh Public Schools in 1911.

In 1936, the original 1889 school building was replaced by a new Art-Deco-style structure designed by Marion M. Steen. By the 1970s, the school, then with an enrollment of 1,200, was reportedly troubled by racial tension, low academic standards, and "debilitating apathy". ^{[9] [10]} Amid declining high school enrollment across the district, Pittsburgh Public Schools closed Allegheny High in 1983 and converted it into a middle school. ^[11]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. "Local Historic Designations". Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
3. Historic Landmark Plaques 1968-2009 (PDF). Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
4. "Allegheny High School". Pennsylvania Historic Resource Survey. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. 1986. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
5. Quigley, Martin J. (1929). The Motion Picture Almanac. p. 70. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
6. "Allegheny High School". Pittsburg Press. September 5, 1884. Retrieved March 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. "An Elegant Edifice". Pittsburg Dispatch. September 7, 1889. Retrieved March 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "A Fine High School". Pittsburg Dispatch. November 2, 1889. Retrieved March 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Allegheny Fights Solution Sought". Pittsburgh Press. November 18, 1976. Retrieved March 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. Benic, Thomas P. (June 13, 1977). "The Allegheny High Blues: An Apathetic Downbeat". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. Chute, Eleanor (August 25, 1983). "North Side School Changes Boggle Mind". Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved March 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com.

External links

• Pittsburgh Allegheny 6-8