{"nrhp_refnum":"89000748","name":"West Ward School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"39 Prospect St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wakefield","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.50593847600004,"lon":-71.08244595699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-07-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Greek Revival wood-frame schoolhouse at 39 Prospect Street in Wakefield (formerly South Reading), Massachusetts, built about 1847.","why_significant":"It is the sole survivor of four identical Greek Revival ward schoolhouses built in South Reading in 1847. It remains substantially intact in form and detailing and still serves as a school. It reflects the town's growth after the railroad arrived in 1845.","narrative":"Built around 1847 at 39 Prospect Street in Wakefield, then South Reading, this two-story wood-clapboard schoolhouse is the only survivor of four identical Greek Revival ward schools erected that year. The town grew quickly after the Boston & Maine Railroad arrived in 1845, and new schools were opened to serve families moving in. The building presents its gable end to the street, with a boxed cornice returning to form a pediment, full-length panelled pilasters and a wide frieze that recall a Greek temple. A second-floor classroom was added in 1858, dividing pupils into Primary and Senior departments. Lake water was piped in during 1891, and the cupola was lost during the Depression. Alterations in 1946-47 added a south portico and an enclosed stair on the north. Residents repeatedly rallied against closing it, and it has remained a school ever since. It was listed for its architecture and its role in local education.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Condition listed as fair to good; still used as a school, in continual use for 138 years.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.501583-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/28/7917/63791728/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89000748.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000748/45047a7df4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000748/45047a7df4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Ward_School,_Wakefield_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Ward_School,_Wakefield_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791728","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Ward_School_(Wakefield,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7986980"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/west-ward-school-89000748/"}