Peter Faneuil School

Last updated

Peter Faneuil School
Peter Faneuil School.jpg
Map of Boston and Cambridge.png
Red pog.svg
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°21′37″N71°3′58″W / 42.36028°N 71.06611°W / 42.36028; -71.06611
Built1909
Architect James T. Kelley; Harold S. Graves
Architectural styleTudor Revival, Classical Revival
Part of Beacon Hill Historic District (ID66000130)
NRHP reference No. 94001492 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 16, 1994
Designated CPOctober 15, 1966

The Peter Faneuil School is an historic school building at 60 Joy Street on Beacon Hill in Boston, Massachusetts. It is a four-story brick Tudor Revival building with limestone trim, built in 1910 to designs by the Boston architect James T. Kelley and his associate, Harold S. Graves. It is named for Peter Faneuil, the benefactor who gave Faneuil Hall to the city.

Contents

History

Construction

The erection of the Peter Faneuil School represented an early form of urban renewal, as the area it occupies was cleared of wooden tenement housing for its construction. During most of the twentieth century school served as an elementary school for Beacon Hill and West End residents. It was the last school which serviced the Old West End neighborhood to close.

The LAB School

In 1975, the Educational Collaborative of Greater Boston (EDCO) opened The LAB (Learning about Boston) School, as a voluntary desegregation secondary school project. Seventy-five high-school students from 22 different school districts chose to attend the program which was based on a handful of majors chosen by the students, Students could opt for Dramatic Arts, Communications, Marine Biology, Environmental Studies. Adventure and History, in addition to taking elective and required courses in traditional and not so traditional subjects. At the start of each semester, students and staff spent several days at Boston University's Sargent Camp Outdoor Adventure Program to get to know one another and to participate in trust-building activities. Outdoor adventure at LAB School included a notable rappel by the students down the front of the Peter Faneuil School building.

During its year and a half of existence, the students and staff published several volumes of an original, creative writing and art magazine, LAByrinths. The LAB School continued for another year as a full-time program, succeeding in creating genuine integration among students and staff. Attendance, even for the less-likely-to-succeed students was high, and reading scores soared. At its height of success, LAB School served 150 students. As state and federal funding for desegregation projects waned, LAB School ended. Several of the staff, including Bernice Lockhart, director, remained at the location, and transitioned into another, part-time EDCO project, called Metropathways.

Later uses

Between 1976 and 1989 the Peter Faneuil School changed use and housed a small college preparatory program sponsored by the University of Massachusetts named Another Course to College, or ACC. ACC, a 'back to basics' advanced program, was created as a safety net for academically strong and/or gifted students of the Boston public schools. Acceptance was based on GPA, IQ based entrance exam, and/or teacher recommendation.

Closing and reconversion

After the ACC/UMASS program was cut, the Peter Faneuil School closed. In 1994, the building was converted into apartments and expanded with a new brick façade along the Joy Street sidewalk, which turned its parking-lot forecourt into a central courtyard. [2] Today it houses 20 affordable apartments for low-income people afflicted with the HIV/AIDS virus. [3]

Historical recognition

The Peter Faneuil School building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994, [1] and included in the Beacon Hill Historic District in 1966. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brookline, Massachusetts</span> Town in Massachusetts, United States

Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and part of the Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Allston, Fenway–Kenmore, Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, and West Roxbury. The city of Newton lies to the west of Brookline. Brookline was first settled in 1638 as a hamlet in Boston, known as Muddy River; it was incorporated as a separate town in 1705.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suffolk University</span> Private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Suffolk University is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. With 7,560 students, it is the eighth-largest university in metropolitan Boston. It was founded as a law school in 1906 and named after its location in Suffolk County, Massachusetts. The university's notable alumni include mayors, dozens of U.S. federal and state judges and members of the U.S. Congress. The university is also host to its namesake public opinion poll, the Suffolk University Political Research Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emerson College</span> Private university in Boston, Massachusetts

Emerson College is a private college with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts. It also maintains campuses in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California and Well, Limburg, Netherlands. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," the college offers more than three dozen degree and professional training programs specializing in the fields of arts and communication with a foundation in liberal arts studies. The college is one of the founding members of the ProArts Consortium, an association of six neighboring institutions in Boston dedicated to arts education at the collegiate level. Emerson is also notable for the college's namesake public opinion poll, Emerson College Polling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Bulfinch</span> American architect (1763–1844)

Charles Bulfinch was an early American architect, and has been regarded by many as the first American-born professional architect to practice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faneuil Hall</span> United States historic place in Boston, MA (opened 1743)

Faneuil Hall is a marketplace and meeting hall located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts. Opened in 1742, it was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others encouraging independence from Great Britain. It is now part of Boston National Historical Park and a well-known stop on the Freedom Trail. It is sometimes referred to as "the Cradle of Liberty".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beacon Hill, Boston</span> Historic neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts

Beacon Hill is a historic neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, and the hill upon which the Massachusetts State House resides. The term "Beacon Hill" is used locally as a metonym to refer to the state government or the legislature itself, much like Washington, D.C.'s Capitol Hill does at the federal level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African Meeting House</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

The African Meeting House, also known variously as First African Baptist Church, First Independent Baptist Church and the Belknap Street Church, was built in 1806 and is now the oldest black church edifice still standing in the United States. It is located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent to the Black American Abiel Smith School. It is a National Historic Landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston National Historical Park</span> National Historical Park of the United States

The Boston National Historical Park is an association of sites that showcase Boston's role in the American Revolution and other parts of history. It was designated a national park on October 1, 1974. Seven of the eight sites are connected by the Freedom Trail, a walking tour of downtown Boston. All eight properties are National Historic Landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston African American National Historic Site</span> National Historic Site of the United States

The Boston African American National Historic Site, in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts's Beacon Hill neighborhood, interprets 15 pre-Civil War structures relating to the history of Boston's 19th-century African-American community, connected by the Black Heritage Trail. These include the 1806 African Meeting House, the oldest standing black church in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abiel Smith School</span> School in the United States

Abiel Smith School, founded in 1835, is a school located at 46 Joy Street in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, adjacent to the African Meeting House. It is named for Abiel Smith, a white philanthropist who left money in his will to the city of Boston for the education of black children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission Hill, Boston</span> United States historic place

Mission Hill is a 34 square mile, primarily residential neighborhood of Boston, bordered by Roxbury, Jamaica Plain and Fenway-Kenmore and the town of Brookline. It is home to several hospitals and universities, including Brigham and Women's Hospital and New England Baptist Hospital. Mission Hill is known for its brick row houses and triple decker homes of the late 19th century. The population was estimated at 15,883 in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tremont Street</span> Road in Boston Massachusetts

Tremont Street is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Appleton Residence</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Nathan Appleton Residence, also known as the Appleton-Parker House, is a historic house located at 39–40 Beacon Street in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It was designated a National Historic Landmark for its association with revolutionary textile manufacturer Nathan Appleton (1779–1861), and as the site in 1843 of the wedding of his daughter Frances and poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The house is an excellent early 19th century design of Alexander Parris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Boston</span> Area of Boston Massachusetts

Downtown Boston is the central business district of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Boston was founded in 1630. The largest of the city's commercial districts, Downtown is the location of many corporate or regional headquarters; city, county, state and federal government facilities; and many of Boston's tourist attractions. Similar to other central business districts in the U.S., Downtown has recently undergone a transformation that included the construction of new condos and lofts, renovation of historic buildings, and arrival of new residents and businesses. It is represented in the Boston City Council by District 2's Bill Linehan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Cooper Nell</span> American journalist

William Cooper Nell was an American abolitionist, journalist, publisher, author, and civil servant of Boston, Massachusetts, who worked for the integration of schools and public facilities in the state. Writing for abolitionist newspapers The Liberator and The North Star, he helped publicize the anti-slavery cause. He published the North Star from 1847 to 18xx, moving temporarily to Rochester, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Parkman House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Francis Parkman House is a National Historic Landmark at 50 Chestnut Street, on Beacon Hill in Boston, Massachusetts. Speculated to be designed by Cornelius Coolidge and built in 1824, it is one of a series of fine brick townhouses on Beacon Hill. Its significance lies in its ownership and occupancy by noted historian and horticulturalist Francis Parkman (1823–1893) from 1865 until his death. While living here, Parkman produced a significant portion of his landmark work, France and England in North America, a multi-volume epic history recounting the conflict for control of North America in the 17th and 18th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church is an historic African Methodist Episcopal Church at 551 Warren Street in Boston, Massachusetts. The current church building was built in 1888 by J. Williams Beal and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Another Course to College</span> Pilot school in the United States

Another Course to College (ACC) is a Public Pilot School located in Hyde Park, Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James T. Kelley (architect)</span> American architect

James T. Kelley (1855–1929) was an American architect practicing in Boston, Massachusetts.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. 1 2 "MACRIS inventory record for Peter Faneuil School". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  3. "Joy Street Residence," Rogerson.org, https://www.rogerson.org/site/joy-street-residence/