{"nrhp_refnum":"86002705","name":"Prospect Junior High and Elementary School","other_names":["Prospect Middle School"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Prospect Ave. near Southern Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Pittsburgh","county":"Allegheny County","state":"PA","lat":40.42786887800003,"lon":-80.01000288999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-09-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A former combined elementary and junior high school building on a sloped hilltop site at Prospect Avenue near Southern Avenue in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It was designed by James T. Steen & Sons and Marion M. Steen, with sections built in 1931 and 1936.","why_significant":"The school is argued to be important for the quality of its architectural detailing, especially its Art Deco interiors and sculptural panels. The form presents it as an example of the massing and detailing principles that characterized nearly a generation of Pittsburgh public school construction directed by Marion M. Steen.","narrative":"Buff brick and limestone school on a sloped hilltop in Pittsburgh's Prospect area, built in sections in 1931 and 1936 and designed by the Steen firm. Its two-to-four-story classroom block is flanked by single-story auditorium and gymnasium wings, the latter two completed in 1935. Fluted pilasters, filigree metal spandrels, and Art Deco stone friezes with figural panels and eagle medallions mark the exterior. The interiors are the main reason for its listing. The 1931 small auditorium has dense Art Deco metalwork on its ceiling, grilles, and stage piers, while the larger auditorium has a coffered ceiling and a plaster stage mural of maidens around a sun. Marble steps, terrazzo floors, and buff tile complete the interiors. Marion M. Steen's design here is regarded as the first full expression of his Art Deco manner and is taken as a model for his later Pittsburgh school work.","period_of_significance":"1921-1940","architect_builder":"James T. Steen & Sons (architect); Marion M. Steen (architect)","architectural_style":"Art Deco","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Good condition; the form lists the school as becoming a middle school in 1979 and the 1936 cafetorium conversion.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:34.599129-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/86002705.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86002705/94b56c5a23-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86002705/94b56c5a23-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Lee Paxton","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ProspectJuniorHighandElementarySchool.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:ProspectJuniorHighandElementarySchool.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71992118","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospect_Junior_High_and_Elementary_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7250775"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/allegheny-county/prospect-junior-high-and-elementary-school-86002705/"}