Myrtle Street School

Last updated
Myrtle Street School
Myrtle Street School, Indian Orchard MA.jpg
Myrtle Street School
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Springfield, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°09′30″N72°30′23″W / 42.1584°N 72.5064°W / 42.1584; -72.5064 Coordinates: 42°09′30″N72°30′23″W / 42.1584°N 72.5064°W / 42.1584; -72.5064
Area2.3 acres (0.93 ha)
Built1868 (1868)
Architect James M. Currier (1868), E. C. & G. C. Gardner (1903 and 1914)
Architectural styleClassical Revival, Second Empire, Exotic Revival
NRHP reference No. 85000024 [1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 3, 1985

The Myrtle Street School is a historic school at 64 Myrtle Street in the Indian Orchard neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in stages between 1868 and 1915, it encapsulates changing trends in school design over that period of time, and is a good example of a school building with Second Empire and Classical Revival features. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. [1] It has been converted to residential use. [2]

Contents

Description and history

The Myrtle Street School is located in the Indian Hill neighborhood of northeastern Springfield, on a lot bounded by Worcester, Myrtle and Hampden Streets on three sides, and residential properties on the west side. It is very roughly U-shaped, with broad wings facing Myrtle Street joined by connecting sections at the back; further elements project from the rear spine of the building. The Myrtle Street facades are similar, with Classical Revival styling including pilasters and projecting central portions topped by pedimented gables. [3]

The school was built in three stages between 1868 and 1915. The oldest portion of the school exhibits Second Empire styling, while major additions in 1903 and 1914 added additional classroom space, an auditorium and gymnasium, and hallways connecting the various portions to each other. The later additions were built with Classical Revival styling, and largely obscure the 1868 building, which is now at the rear of the complex. Many of the original features of the buildings have survived, including elements such as wooden staircases and decorative molding in the 1868 portion. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

Cabotville Common Historic District United States historic place

The Cabotville Common Historic District is a predominantly residential historic district in Chicopee, Massachusetts. It is centered on the park now called Lucy Wisniowski Park, which was previously known as "The Common", and includes all of the buildings that face the park, as well as a few on immediately adjacent city streets. It was developed in the 1830s and 1840s as an area where mid-level employees of Chicopee's mills and factories lived, between the simpler tenements and boarding houses of the lower classes, and the elite mansions of the proprietors and top-level managers. Most of the building stock in the district was built between 1846 and 1870, and were single family brick or wood-frame Greek Revival houses. The Common, whose original purpose was to provide shared pasturage for area residents, was by the end of this period converted to a park. From the 1870s to the 1890s the housing stock was predominantly multi-family in scale, and exhibited the architectural fashions of the time: Italianate, Second Empire, and Victorian. Thereafter development was limited due to a lack of available land, and only a few brick apartment houses were built between 1890 and 1915.

Quadrangle–Mattoon Street Historic District United States historic place

The Quadrangle–Mattoon Street Historic District is a historic district in Springfield, Massachusetts, bounded by Chestnut Street to the West; State Street to the South; and includes properties on Mattoon, Salem, Edwards and Elliot Streets. Located in the Metro Center, the Quadrangle–Mattoon Street Historic District is one of the few neighborhoods in the Knowledge Corridor lined with historic, restored red-brick Victorian row houses on both sides, covered by tree canopies.

Gunn and Hubbard Blocks United States historic place

The Gunn and Hubbard Blocks are a pair of historic commercial-residential buildings at 463-477 State Street in the Old Hill section of Springfield, Massachusetts. Located across the street from the Springfield Armory, they were built in the 1830s, and are the two of the oldest commercial buildings in Springfield. The buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Hampden Savings Bank United States historic place

The Hampden Savings Bank building is a historic bank building at 1665 Main Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. The building's original tenant, Hampden Bank, now has a headquarters several blocks south of this site at 19 Harrison Avenue. The Classical Revival building was designed by Max H. Westhoff for the bank in 1918. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Indian Orchard Branch Library United States historic place

The Indian Orchard Branch Library is a historic branch library at 44 Oak Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Classic Revival building was constructed in 1909 to a design by John W. Donohue, and was the first permanent branch library building in the Springfield public library system; it was funded in part by a grant from Andrew Carnegie. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999; it continues to serve as a library as a branch of the Springfield City Library system.

Kenwyn Apartments United States historic place

The Kenwyn Apartments are a historic apartment house at 6 Kenwood Park & 413—415 Belmont Avenue in the Forest Park neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1916, they are a rare local example of Mission style architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

McKnight District United States historic place

The McKnight District is a predominantly residential neighborhood northeast of downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. The area represents a planned residential development covering several hundred acres, which was built in the mid to late 19th century. The architects of the development were John and William McKnight, who, in addition to developing and enforcing construction guidelines in the area, built and landscaped many of the properties. The area was largely built by 1910, and there has been little new construction in the area since. Most of the houses built in the area were constructed in most of the architectural styles that were popular between 1880 and 1990, although there is a predominance of the Queen Anne style. The McKnights began to develop the area, which had previously been mainly farmland, in 1870 with the purchase of a 22 acres (8.9 ha) parcel on which they and a partner built their own homes. They proceeded over the following years to acquire additional parcels of land in the area, plat out roads, and either build houses themselves, or sell plots to other builders. They enforced some uniformity in the area through the use of deed restrictions, which required uniform setback requirements, banned fencing, and required a minimum cost of construction.

Memorial Square District United States historic place

The Memorial Square District encompasses the historic heart of the Memorial Square neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts. Arrayed around the Memorial Square at the junction of Main and Plainfield Streets are seven buildings of architectural and/or historic significance, including the Memorial Church, and the former Memorial Square Branch Library, now a Greek cultural center. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

Mills-Hale-Owen Blocks United States historic place

The Mills—Hale—Owen Blocks were a collection of three historic mixed-use commercial and residential blocks at 959—991 Main Street in the South End of Springfield, Massachusetts. They occupied an entire city block on the east side of Main Street, between Union and Hubbard Streets, and were some of the city's best examples of commercial Italianate architecture, prior to their destruction in the 2011 Springfield tornado. They were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Radding Building United States historic place

The Radding Building is a large historic commercial building at 143-147 State Street in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. One of the tallest and most prominent buildings on State Street, it was built in 1915 by Edward Radding to a Classical Revival design by local architect Charles R. Greco. The building has been known for many years as the headquarters of the Mutual Fire Assurance Company. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

South Main Street School United States historic place

The South Main Street School is an historic school building at 11 Acushnet Avenue in the South End of Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1895, it is a good local example of Renaissance Revival architecture, and a major work of local architect Francis R. Richmond. It served as an elementary school into the 1970s, and has been converted to residential use. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Trinity Block Building in Springfield, Massachusetts

The Trinity Block is a historic commercial building at 266-284 Bridge Street in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1923, the mixed-use retail and office building is noted for its colorful facade, finished in cast stone and terra cotta. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Varnum School United States historic place

The Varnum School is a historic former school building in Lowell, Massachusetts. The Greek Revival building was built in 1857, and was the first school built in the city's Centralville section after it was annexed to the city in 1851. The building was altered with a minor addition added in 1886, and a substantial Classical Revival addition was made in 1896. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. Vacant since the 2000s, it is now owned by a developer, and is slated for conversion to housing units.

Calhoun Apartments United States historic place

The Calhoun Apartments are a large multiunit residential building at the corner of Dwight and Jefferson Streets in the North End of Springfield, Massachusetts. The four story apartment house was built in 1914 for Home Realty Trust and designed by local architect James D. Long in the Classical Revival style. The exterior is built from yellow brick with brownstone trim, and features alternating flat and rounded sections on both of its street-facing elevations. The building was completed not long before a new fire code was introduced in Springfield, which in part resulted in more buildings of its type being built. The building went through a rapid succession of owners until the early 1960s, after which it changed hands infrequently.

Outing Park Historic District United States historic place

The Outing Park Historic District, also known as Hollywood, is a residential historic district in the South End of Springfield, Massachusetts. It is a collection of 23 residential apartment blocks that were built between 1914 and 1926 by the prolific building firm, Gagnier & Angers. They occupy a relatively compact area, a few blocks along Niagara, Oswego, and Bayonne Streets, along with a few buildings on Dwight Street Extension and Saratoga Street. The district represents a distinctive and large concentration of period apartment blocks in the city, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

Adams Apartment Building United States historic place

The Adams Apartment Building is a historic eight-unit apartment building at 71 Adams Street in the South End of Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1912, it is a well-preserved local example of Classical Revival architecture. The building, which suffered significant damage in the 2011 Springfield tornado and has been restored, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

Evans Court Apartment Building United States historic place

The Evans Court Apartment Building is a historic apartment building at 22-24 Winthrop Street in the South End of Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1910, it is a good example of a Classical Revival apartment house, and one of the first to be built in the city after it introduced a new fire code. Rehabilitated in 2014, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

Hancock Apartment Building United States historic place

The Hancock Apartment Building. also known as the Schaffer Apartments, is a historic mixed-used retail and residential apartment building at 116-118 Hancock Street and 130 Tyler Street on the east side of Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1912, it is good local example of an early 20th-century Classical Revival apartment house, built as the city's outer neighborhoods grew as streetcar suburbs. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

Ivernia Apartment Building United States historic place

The Ivernia Apartment Building is a historic residential apartment building at 91-93 Pine Street on the east side of Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1910, it is a well-preserved example of a Classical Revival apartment house, built during a boom period of apartment construction in the city. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

Governor Shirley Square Historic District United States historic place

The Governor Shirley Square Historic District encompasses a cluster of civic, residential, and religious buildings at the junction of Dudley, Hampden, and Dunmore Streets in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Named for colonial governor William Shirley in 1913, the square was developed in the 1870s and 1880s as a major locus of civic development after the city of Roxbury was annexed to Boston in 1868. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "Indian Orchard Grammar". Springfield-History.com. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  3. 1 2 "NRHP nomination for Myrtle Street School". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2013-12-12.