{"nrhp_refnum":"80003425","name":"Kutztown 1892 Public School Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"White Oak and Normal Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Kutztown","county":"Berks County","state":"PA","lat":40.51313040700006,"lon":-75.77572469699999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-06-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, eight-room Victorian brick and stone public school building on White Oak Street in Kutztown, Berks County, Pennsylvania, completed in 1892 with a 1936 rear addition. It is the 1892 Kutztown Public School building.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a fine example of the larger public schools built across Pennsylvania at the end of the 19th century, and that it is more ornate than most and one of the best preserved of its type in Berks County. It notes that many similar ornate schools have been or will be demolished under stricter state fire codes.","narrative":"Built in 1892 on White Oak Street in Kutztown, this two-story brick and stone school has eight rooms, an attic and a basement, and a three-story bell tower facing the street. Lansdale architect M. B. Bean designed it, and local builders Daniel W. Kline and Lewis Dietrich carried out the work. The school board specified costly materials, including blue limestone, black oak joists, King of Prussia marble for the steps and trim, and Big Washington Vein slate for the roof. Classes began in 1893 after a dedication on October 1 of that year. The building is regarded as one of the most ornate and best preserved late nineteenth-century Pennsylvania public schools in Berks County. A 1936 WPA project added a fire tower to replace an iron fire escape. The elementary school moved out in 1956, and the building was vacated in 1977 after a state condemnation of wooden-floored schools. It now houses the Kutztown Historical Society and a community meeting hall.","period_of_significance":"1892","architect_builder":"M. B. Bean (architect); Daniel W. Kline & Lewis Dietrich (builders)","architectural_style":"Victorian","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The structure today serves as the Kutztown Historical Society and community meeting hall.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:32.776917-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/80003425.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003425/c50113bc6d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003425/c50113bc6d-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Dough4872","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kutztown_1892_Public_School_Building.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Dough4872</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kutztown_1892_Public_School_Building.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996046","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kutztown_1892_Public_School_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6448694"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/berks-county/kutztown-1892-public-school-building-80003425/"}