{"nrhp_refnum":"87002547","name":"Hoosac Street School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"20 Hoosac St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Adams","county":"Berkshire County","state":"MA","lat":42.62524894000006,"lon":-73.11418830699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-02-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2-1/2-story brick school building at 20 Hoosac Street in Adams, Massachusetts, erected in 1887 to designs by architect T.C. (Charles T.) Rathbun of Pittsfield.","why_significant":"The school is tied to the growth of public education in Adams, a New England mill town, and to the schooling of mill workers' children and immigrants, including evening continuation and Americanization classes. It also served as a training facility for the town's elementary teachers. It is a well-preserved example of simple Colonial Revival school architecture with Queen Anne details.","narrative":"Built in 1887 at 20 Hoosac Street in Adams, Massachusetts, this brick schoolhouse was designed by Pittsfield architect T.C. Rathbun and cost about $20,000. The town built it to relieve overcrowding in its elementary schools as mill-driven growth swelled enrollment. Local firms did the work, including Walters and Fuller on the brickwork. The building has a slate hipped roof, a bell cupola, a granite foundation, and Queen Anne details such as spindlework on the entry porch, patterned brick, and shingled gables. Over time it taught children from mill families and wealthier households, offered evening continuation classes for working children, and held Americanization classes for immigrants. It also trained local elementary teachers. The school closed in 1981 after the town consolidated its elementary schools. The interior has since been converted into twelve apartments, though the wide stairways with pressed tin walls and the high hallway ceilings were kept. It is recognized for its local role in education and for its architecture.","period_of_significance":"1887-1937","architect_builder":"Charles T. Rathbun; Walters and Fuller","architectural_style":"Colonial Revival; Queen Anne","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Closed as a school in 1981; the interior has been converted to twelve apartments, and the building is currently used as multiple dwellings.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.704986-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/60/7943/63794360/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/87002547.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87002547/a497e41d69-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87002547/a497e41d69-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hoosac_Street_School,_Adams_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hoosac_Street_School,_Adams_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794360","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoosac_Street_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5898512"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/berkshire-county/hoosac-street-school-87002547/"}