{"nrhp_refnum":"86002647","name":"Baxter High School","other_names":["Pittsburgh High School for the CAPA"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Baxter St. and Brushton Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Pittsburgh","county":"Allegheny County","state":"PA","lat":40.456222196000056,"lon":-79.88834810199995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-09-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Baxter High School is a two-story brick school building on a raised basement at the corner of Baxter and Brushton Avenues in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It was built in stages from 1908 with additions in 1911 and 1929.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is architecturally significant for its progressive detailing and for the attempt at complementary yet differentiated design between its two main sections. Its Prairie School-influenced beltcourse and Art Nouveau stair-hall detailing are cited as its most distinctive features. The firm of Kiehnel & Elliott, among Pittsburgh's more progressive early twentieth-century firms, designed it.","narrative":"Built in stages beginning in 1908 on a corner lot in Pittsburgh, Baxter High School is a brick building of two stories over a raised basement, with a stone watertable and cornice and a brick parapet. The original 1908 elementary section was extended south in 1911 and served as a high school from 1912 to 1922. A west section added in 1929 held a gymnasium, auditorium and cafeteria for a junior high school. The architects, Kiehnel & Elliott, were among Pittsburgh's more progressive early twentieth-century firms, and their design reflects Chicago and Prairie School practices. The building's most distinctive feature is a beltcourse tied to the cornice by geometric and foliate detailing in the Prairie School manner. The east stairhall holds a metal balustrade with Art Nouveau panels. The building is now a magnet school for creative and performing arts.","period_of_significance":"1901-1920; 1921-1940","architect_builder":"Kiehnel & Elliott (architects); Kiehnel, Elliott & Chalfant (1929 section)","architectural_style":"Chicago School","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Good condition; in use as the Pittsburgh High School for Creative and Performing Arts, a magnet school.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.227022-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/86002647.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86002647/aa850206cd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86002647/aa850206cd-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Lee Paxton","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baxter_High_School,_Pittsburgh.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Lee Paxton</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:Baxter_High_School,_Pittsburgh.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71992186","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baxter_High_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4873849"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/allegheny-county/baxter-high-school-86002647/"}