Old Middletown High School

Last updated
Old Middletown High School
Middletown, CT - old high school 01.jpg
Location251 Court Street, Middletown, Connecticut
Coordinates 41°33′32″N72°39′12″W / 41.5588°N 72.6532°W / 41.5588; -72.6532 Coordinates: 41°33′32″N72°39′12″W / 41.5588°N 72.6532°W / 41.5588; -72.6532
Built1894 - 1896
Jasper Tryon (carpenter); Watson Tryon & Son (masons)
ArchitectCurtis & Johnson, Hartford
Architectural style Romanesque Revival
NRHP reference No. 85001826
Added to NRHPAugust 23, 1985

The Old Middletown High School building in Middletown, Connecticut, in the United States, occupies the southwest corner of Court and Pearl streets. It is situated in a modestly scaled 19th century urban residential neighborhood. Although integrated into its surroundings, the old high school stands out because of its size and Romanesque Revival style.

Contents

Significance

From a postcard sent in 1909 PostcardMiddletownHigh1909.jpg
From a postcard sent in 1909

Built in 1894-1896, this building was Middletown's second high school. The Hartford firm of Curtis & Johnson designed the structure in Romanesque Revival style. The building for which no expense was spared in materials or design, set an innovative standard for the educational facilities of its day.

The use of different materials (Pompeian brick, brownstone, and terra cotta) produces a rich textural effect on the exterior. A turret on the northeast corner, the use of round compound arches, and an overall asymmetrical plan are typical of Romanesque Revival.

In 1912 a large wing designed by Charles Scranton Palmer of Meriden was added to the south side of the building. This wing closely repeated the materials and stylistic elements of the existing structure. A second large wing containing a library, auditorium, and gymnasium was added to the west side in 1931. Although it incorporates some Romanesque details such as sound compound arched windows and utilized materials compatible to the original, the overall impression is of a separate and distinct construction.

The old high school is one of the few monumental civic buildings of the 19th century remaining in Middletown and the only one of the Romanesque style. It ceased operation as a high school in 1973. [1]

Current use and condition

In 1978 the high school was converted into elderly housing apartments and the structure remains in good condition.

In 2007 Middletown High School #2 off of Newfield Street was replaced by MHS #3 that was built in front of MHS #2 before #2 was torn down. The old building is still elderly housing on the corner of Court and Pearl Streets.

See also

Related Research Articles

Old Rockville High School and East School United States historic place

The Old Rockville High School and East School are a pair of historic former school buildings at School and Park Streets in the Rockville section of Vernon, Connecticut. Built in 1892 and 1870 respectively, the two buildings are good examples of late 19th-century school architecture, and the former high school is a particularly good example of Richardsonian Romanesque design. The buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. The high school now houses school administration offices, and the East School houses court offices.

Church of the Holy Trinity and Rectory (Middletown, Connecticut) United States historic place

The Church of the Holy Trinity is an historic Episcopal church at 381 Main Street in Middletown, Connecticut. Completed in 1874, it is one of the city's finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture. Its nearby former rectory, also known as the Bishop Acheson House, is one of its finest Colonial Revival houses. The two buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Edward Augustus Russell House United States historic place

The Edward Augustus Russell House is a Greek Revival house on the Wesleyan University campus in Middletown, Connecticut, USA. The house, at 318 High Street, faces west from the east side of High Street north of the corner at High and Court Streets. A large wooded lawn extends to the Honors College property to the north. High Street between Church and Washington Streets was the most prestigious residential area in Middletown during the 19th century. It was later home to the KNK Fraternity of Wesleyan University. The structural system consists of load-bearing masonry with a flat roof, and materials include brick and flushboarding walls and a brownstone foundation.

Saint Lukes Home for Destitute and Aged Women United States historic place

St. Luke's Home for Destitute and Aged Women was incorporated by an act of the Connecticut State Assembly on June 22, 1865. For twenty-seven years the home was conducted in an old house on the southwest corner of Court and Pearl Street. in 1892 a large legacy enabled a new home to be erected at the present site at Pearl and Lincoln Streets. Comfortable quarters are provided for fourteen women. Members of the Church of the Holy Trinity played a large part in establishing the endowment; frequently the current rector of that church serves as president of the Board of Trustees.

Samuel Wadsworth Russell House United States historic place

The Samuel Russell House is a neoclassical house at 350 High Street in Middletown, Connecticut, built in 1828 to a design by architect Ithiel Town. Many architectural historians consider it to be one of the finest Greek Revival mansions in the northeastern United States. Town's client was Samuel Russell (1789-1862), the founder of Russell & Company, the largest and most important American firm to do business in the China trade in the 19th century, and whose fortunes were primarily based on smuggling illegal and addictive opium into China.

Broad Street Historic District (Middletown, Connecticut) United States historic place

The Broad Street Historic District encompasses a well-preserved 19th-century residential area in Middletown, Connecticut, USA. Centered on Broad and Pearl Streets west of Main Street, the area was developed residential in response to local economic development intended to revitalize the city, whose port was in decline. The district includes the city's largest concentration of Greek Revival houses, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Connecticut Valley Hospital United States historic place

Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown, Connecticut, is a public hospital operated by the state of Connecticut to treat people with mental illness. It was historically known as Connecticut General Hospital for the Insane. It is a 100-acre (40 ha) historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Old Middletown Post Office United States historic place

The Old Middletown Post Office, in Middletown, Connecticut, also known as the U.S. Post Office, was built in 1916. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1982. The building is also on the NRHP as a contributing property of the Main Street Historic District.

Thomas Penson

Thomas Penson, or Thomas Penson the younger was the county surveyor of Denbighshire and Montgomeryshire. An innovative architect and designer of a number of masonry arch bridges over the River Severn and elsewhere. He was the son of Thomas Penson the older,, who had been the county surveyor for Flintshire from 1810 to 1814, but had been dismissed when the bridge at Overton-on-Dee collapsed. Thomas Penson the younger, completed its replacement. Thomas Penson the younger had two sons: Thomas Mainwaring Penson and Richard Kyrke Penson, both of whom were architects and both practised in Chester

Barbour County Courthouse United States historic place

The Barbour County Courthouse in Philippi, Barbour County, West Virginia, USA is a monumental public building constructed between 1903 and 1905 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. It dominates the town center and is the county's chief symbol of government. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Merchant Street Historic District United States historic place

The Merchant Street Historic District in Honolulu, Hawaii, was the city's earliest commercial center.

Bristol Road Methodist Church

Bristol Road Methodist Church is a former Methodist place of worship in the Kemptown area of Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Built in 1873 to an Italian Romanesque Revival design, it served this part of eastern Brighton for more than a century until its closure in 1989, after which it became a recording studio. It is owned by Brighton College, an independent school based nearby. The building has been listed at Grade II in view of its architectural importance.

Federal Building and United States Courthouse (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) United States historic place

The Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, also known as U.S. Courthouse, Sioux Falls, is a historic federal office and courthouse building located at Sioux Falls in Minnehaha County, South Dakota. The building is still in use as a federal courthouse, being the seat of the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota. The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Federal Building (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) United States historic place

The U.S. Courthouse & Federal Office Building, Milwaukee, Wisconsin is a post office, Federal office, and courthouse building located at Milwaukee in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. It is a courthouse for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

First Methodist Church (Burlington, Vermont) United States historic place

The First Methodist Church of Burlington is a historic church located at 21 Buell Street in Burlington, Vermont. Built in 1869 to a design by Alexander R. Esty, it is the city's only example of ecclesiastical Romanesque Revival architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

High Street Historic District (Hartford, Connecticut) United States historic place

The High Street Historic District of Hartford, Connecticut is a 1.1-acre (0.45 ha) historic district that includes three buildings typifying the architectural styles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the city. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. The buildings are located at 402-418 Asylum Street, 28 High Street, and 175-189 Allyn Street, and includes the Batterson Block and Judd and Root Building, each individually listed for their architecture.

Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church Complex United States historic place

Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church Complex is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 for its architectural significance.

St Marys Church, South Brisbane

St Mary's Catholic Church is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic church at 20 Merivale Street, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Simkin & Ibler and built from 1892 to 1929. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 3 December 2004.

Xi Chapter, Psi Upsilon Fraternity United States historic place

The Xi Chapter, Psi Upsilon Fraternity is a fraternity chapter at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. Its 1891 building, the Psi Upsilon Fraternity Building, is an architecturally significant example of Romanesque and Jacobethan architecture, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Russell Library is an 1876 library located at 123 Broad Street in Middletown, Connecticut.

References

  1. Middletown, Connecticut Historical and Architectural Resources. Volume II, Card Number 71. John Reynolds. May 1978.