{"nrhp_refnum":"12000511","name":"Van Rensselaer High School","other_names":["Van Rensselaer Junior High School","Doane Stuart School"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"199 Washington Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rensselaer","county":"Rensselaer County","state":"NY","lat":42.66271913700004,"lon":-73.72274565293876,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2012-08-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A former public school building at 199 Washington Avenue in the City of Rensselaer, Rensselaer County, New York, built in two phases (1930-31 and 1938-39) with a non-historic rear wing added in 1995.","why_significant":"The building is argued to be a distinctive and somewhat rare regional example of Art Deco-inspired school design in the Capital District (Criterion C). It is also associated with the growth of the City of Rensselaer's school system in the first half of the twentieth century (Criterion A, education). The 1930s sections remain largely intact in plan and finishes.","narrative":"Built on Washington Avenue in the City of Rensselaer, this brick school was erected in two campaigns during the 1930s. Albany architect Clarence H. Gardinier designed the first section in 1930-31 as a grade and junior high school, and Howard O. Fullerton extended it in 1938-39 so it could serve as a junior and senior high. Federal Public Works Administration funds helped pay for the expansion. The exterior combines traditional slate roofing and a cupola with Art Deco features, including vertical brick piers, a cut-stone entrance frontispiece with radiating glass, and stepped parapets. Inside, the former auditorium, now a chapel, keeps its Art Deco proscenium arch, plaster work and clerestory windows, while corridors retain ceramic tile wainscoting and metal stair railings. A rear wing added in 1995 is considered non-historic. The school served the city until 2007 and is now used by a private school. It was listed as a regional example of Art Deco school design and for its role in Rensselaer's educational development.","period_of_significance":"1930-1962","architect_builder":"Clarence H. Gardinier (architect, 1930-31); Howard O. Fullerton (architect, 1938-39)","architectural_style":"Modern Movement: Art Deco","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Closed as a Rensselaer city school in 2007; now operated as a private school by the Doane Stuart School.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:48.66674-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/12000511.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000511/8b963a770b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000511/8b963a770b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Kenneth C. Zirkel","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Doane_Stuart_School,_Rensselaer_NY.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Kenneth C. Zirkel</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:Doane_Stuart_School,_Rensselaer_NY.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321317","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doane_Stuart_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5286499"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/rensselaer-county/van-rensselaer-high-school-12000511/"}