{"nrhp_refnum":"02001119","name":"Sterling District No. 5 Schoolhouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NY104A","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sterling","county":"Cayuga County","state":"NY","lat":43.32372574400006,"lon":-76.64713523599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-10-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story hewn timber frame rural schoolhouse built circa 1853 on New York Route 104A in the hamlet of Sterling Center, Town of Sterling, Cayuga County, New York.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is an intact example of rural educational design in northern Cayuga County. Its form and Picturesque details reflect Henry Barnard's school design principles and Andrew Jackson Downing's influence, while circa 1930 and circa 1940 changes show the move toward standardized school design.","narrative":"Built circa 1853 in the hamlet of Sterling Center, this two-story timber frame schoolhouse served District No. 5 until the local school district was consolidated in 1946. It sits on a mortared rubble stone foundation and has a front-facing gable roof, bracketed eaves, a small cupola and a distinctive double round-headed window above the entrance. Its design appears to draw on Henry Barnard's School Architecture and the Picturesque taste promoted by Andrew Jackson Downing. Originally covered in vertical board-and-batten siding, it was altered circa 1930 with added south windows and an indoor bathroom, and re-clad in wood shakes circa 1940. In the mid-1940s to early 1950s it also housed classes for children of migrant farm workers. It later became Sterling Town Hall and, from 1976, a display space for the Sterling Historical Society. It was listed for its architecture and its relatively high degree of integrity.","period_of_significance":"circa 1853- circa 1940","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Mid-nineteenth century: Italian villa","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Currently used as a local history museum and exhibition and meeting space for the Sterling Historical Society; it formerly served as Sterling Town Hall.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:52.85488-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/02001119.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001119/d39ed7d7f2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001119/d39ed7d7f2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Doncram","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sterling_District_No_5_Schoolhouse.jpeg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doncram</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sterling_District_No_5_Schoolhouse.jpeg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316735","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_District_No._5_Schoolhouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7611396"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/cayuga-county/sterling-district-no-5-schoolhouse-02001119/"}