{"nrhp_refnum":"08001139","name":"Annunciation School","other_names":["Catholic Academy of West Buffalo"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"257 Lafayette Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Buffalo","county":"Erie County","state":"NY","lat":42.92190417000006,"lon":-78.88821519099997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-12-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Education","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Classical Revival school building at 257 Lafayette Avenue, on Buffalo's west side in Erie County, New York, built in 1928 for the Annunciation Roman Catholic Parish. Mortimer J. Murphy is named as architect/builder.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the school is an exceptionally intact example of the standardized early-twentieth-century school building, with fireproof brick and stone construction, symmetrical grouped windows and classrooms off central corridors. It is also significant for its ties to the Buffalo Diocese's school system and to the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur, who taught there.","narrative":"Annunciation School, at the corner of Lafayette and Parkdale Avenues on Buffalo's west side, is a three-story brick school built in 1928 for the Annunciation Roman Catholic Parish. Designed by Mortimer J. Murphy in the Classical Revival style, it has an I-shaped plan, pre-cast stone trim, brick pilasters and quoins, a stone cornice and a flat roof behind a parapet. Matching entrance fronts face east and west. Inside, the plan and nearly all original finishes survive, including terrazzo stairs, oak trim, plaster walls, steam radiators and the original boilers. The building was listed for its architecture, as a well-preserved example of the standardized, fireproof school design of its era, with ceiling heights, room sizes and window patterns following accepted rules of the time. It was also recognized for its role in education and social history, as the parish's third school building and a long-time base for the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur, who taught in Buffalo's diocesan schools.","period_of_significance":"1928-1958","architect_builder":"Mortimer J. Murphy","architectural_style":"Late 19th & 20th Century Revival: Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as work in progress; the interior is described as nearly unaltered, with original plan and finishes in place.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:54.162763-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/08001139.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08001139/824a2ca630-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08001139/824a2ca630-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Annunciation_School_Dec_09.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog (talk)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Annunciation_School_Dec_09.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75317538","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annunciation_School_(Buffalo,_New_York)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4769779"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/erie-county/annunciation-school-08001139/"}