{"nrhp_refnum":"82004425","name":"Forest Avenue School","other_names":["Little Red School House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Concord Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brockton","county":"Plymouth County","state":"MA","lat":42.069919027000026,"lon":-71.04043909899997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-07-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two and one half story wood frame clapboard schoolhouse in Brockton, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, built in 1875 and moved two blocks to its present site on Concord Avenue, at Brockton High School, in 1969.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the oldest surviving school in Brockton and a rare, well preserved example of a two-story wood frame schoolhouse from a period when school design was shifting toward masonry buildings. It is tied to the city's early educational system and its growth as a shoe-industry center. The move was justified because of the building's rarity and age.","narrative":"Built in 1875, the Forest Avenue School, also called the Little Red School House, is a two and one half story clapboard schoolhouse with a gable roof and 6/6 double hung windows. It first stood at Forest Avenue and West Street, then a rural part of Brockton, with classes on the first floor and the second floor serving as rainy-day play space. The school closed in 1963 and sat vacant until the city planned to demolish it for a library. A citizens' group formed the Little Red Schoolhouse Association, raised money, materials and labor from merchants and trade unions, and moved the building two blocks to the high school grounds in 1969. Restoration followed through 1971, and the second-floor classroom keeps its nineteenth century fittings. It is listed as Brockton's oldest surviving school and a rare example of a two-story wood frame schoolhouse from the city's early growth, and it now operates as an educational museum.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Closed as a school in 1963 and vacant for over five years, then moved in 1969 and restored 1969-1971; it now serves as an educational museum in excellent condition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.141703-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/94/7965/63796594/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/82004425.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004425/ec14300ff3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004425/ec14300ff3-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BrocktonMA_ForestAvenueSchool.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</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:BrocktonMA_ForestAvenueSchool.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796594","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_Avenue_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5468797"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/plymouth-county/forest-avenue-school-82004425/"}