{"nrhp_refnum":"89002257","name":"West Chester Boarding School for Boys","other_names":["Square House"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"200 E. Biddle St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"West Chester","county":"Chester County","state":"PA","lat":39.964768407000065,"lon":-75.60452904799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-01-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick building at East Biddle Street and North Matlack Street in West Chester, Chester County, Pennsylvania, constructed in 1836 as a private academy for boys and later converted into a single-family residence. The nomination covers the academy with its garden, brick wall and a frame garage.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that the building is significant for its role in the private education of West Chester during the mid-nineteenth century, when Joshua Hoopes' school operated for twenty-eight years. It also argues that the building is a well-preserved local example of the Federal architectural style, retaining most of its original features. It is described as the only surviving borough building erected between 1830 and 1860 expressly for private educational purposes.","narrative":"Brick, three-story building in West Chester, Chester County, built in 1836 by Nathan Sharpless as a private academy for boys. Founded by Joshua Hoopes, the school operated for twenty-eight years, accommodating up to fifty scholars per semester, with instruction that emphasized mathematics and the sciences. A day school for girls opened in the same building in 1855, and both schools closed in 1862. Early construction was financed by local leaders, including botanist and congressman William Darlington. The building keeps its Federal style, with a five-bay north elevation, bonnet dormers, a terne tin roof and a rooftop widow's walk. It is regarded as the only surviving structure in the borough built expressly for private education between 1830 and 1860, and it is significant for its educational history and its architecture.","period_of_significance":"1836-62","architect_builder":"Nathan Sharpless (builder)","architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Converted from a boarding school to a residence; the document describes all components as in excellent condition.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:36.265644-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/89002257.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89002257/a54a8d4eb0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89002257/a54a8d4eb0-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Chester_Boarding_School.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Chester_Boarding_School.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71998667","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Chester_Boarding_School_for_Boys","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7984711"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/chester-county/west-chester-boarding-school-for-boys-89002257/"}