{"nrhp_refnum":"83004068","name":"Old Medford High School","other_names":["Medford High School"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"22-24 Forest St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Medford","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.420904732000054,"lon":-71.10831131799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-10-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story red brick former public high school at 22-24 Forest Street, Medford, Massachusetts. The central building dates from 1895, with north (1929) and south (1939) wings added later.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is an excellent local example of late 19th century institutional Renaissance Revival architecture, designed by the prominent Boston firm Hartwell & Richardson. It also has historical significance through its association with the development of public education in Medford. The 1929 and 1939 wings are described as among the finest local examples of their style.","narrative":"Old Medford High School at 22-24 Forest Street is a three-story red brick school building made up of a central block from 1895 and two L-plan wings added in 1929 and 1939. The original building was designed by the Boston firm Hartwell & Richardson, which specialized in school and public buildings. It features a rusticated first floor, an Ionic entrance, arched windows and sandstone trim donated by General Samuel Crocker Lawrence. It was dedicated in 1896 and cost $150,000. Medford's growth as a Boston suburb led to a 1914 rear addition, later destroyed by fire in 1965, and then to the north and south wings. The south wing, designed by Michael A. Dyer, architect of Medford's City Hall, contained an auditorium said to be the largest in the Commonwealth when completed. The property was listed for its architecture and its role in the growth of public education in Medford. Apart from the auditorium, it has been vacant since the 1965 fire.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899, 1900-","architect_builder":"Hartwell & Richardson (1895); Michael Dyer (1929, 1939)","architectural_style":"Renaissance Revival (original building); Renaissance Revival and Colonial Revival (1929 and 1939 wings)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Vacant since a 1965 fire, except for the south wing auditorium, which is used for theatrical performances. The high school moved to a new building on Winter Street in 1971.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.272338-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/75/7958/63795875/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83004068.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83004068/5f8b9430ca-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83004068/5f8b9430ca-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MedfordMA_OldHighSchool.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:MedfordMA_OldHighSchool.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795875","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Medford_High_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7084497"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/old-medford-high-school-83004068/"}