{"nrhp_refnum":"85002684","name":"Locke School","other_names":["#569"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"88 Parke Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Arlington","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.414477084000055,"lon":-71.18222958499996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-09-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A red brick former public school at 88 Park Avenue in Arlington, Massachusetts, built in 1899 to designs by Gay & Proctor, on a hillside site of almost two acres overlooking the commercial center at Massachusetts and Park Avenues.","why_significant":"The school is presented as a well-preserved example of Renaissance Revival schoolhouse architecture by a well-known firm. It has an H-shaped plan and high hipped roofs typical of late 19th century monumental schools. It was also Arlington's fourth brick schoolhouse, on a site used for schools since 1878.","narrative":"Locke School at 88 Park Avenue in Arlington was built in 1899 as a red brick public school and designed by the architectural firm Gay and Proctor. It sits on the slope of a hill on almost two acres, set well back from the street and overlooking the commercial center at Massachusetts and Park Avenues. The building follows the Renaissance Revival style, with an H-shaped plan and high hipped roofs typical of large schoolhouses of the late 19th century. It was Arlington's fourth brick schoolhouse, and a local historian praised its tasteful use of materials and excellent proportions. A wing added in 1909 doubled its size. The site had held a school since 1878, when an earlier wooden Locke School was dedicated; that building was moved east to the railroad tracks in 1899 and demolished around 1936. The name recalls the Locke family, among the town's earliest settlers. Renovated into condominiums in 1983, the building retains its integrity and was recognized for its architecture under Criterion C.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Gay & Proctor (Gay and Proctor)","architectural_style":"Renaissance Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Converted to condominiums in 1983; present use is residential.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.498732-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/28/7912/63791228/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/85002684.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002684/aa15d7f304-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002684/aa15d7f304-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Daderot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Locke_School,_ArlingtonMA_-_IMG_2791.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Locke_School,_ArlingtonMA_-_IMG_2791.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791228","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locke_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12061350"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/locke-school-85002684/"}