{"nrhp_refnum":"92001354","name":"Watterson School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1422 W. 74th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cleveland","county":"Cuyahoga County","state":"OH","lat":41.48190765800007,"lon":-81.73768008799993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1992-10-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Watterson School is a two-story brick public elementary school on a raised basement at 1422 West 74th Street at Detroit Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, built in 1906-07 and designed by school architect Frank S. Barnum.","why_significant":"The nomination argues significance in architecture under Criterion C. It is a good example of turn-of-the-century Cleveland school design with Second Renaissance Revival detailing and a plan unique among the city's schools. It also marks the transition from mill construction to fireproof school buildings, including Barnum's only octagonal first-floor auditorium.","narrative":"Watterson School is a two-story brick elementary school on a raised basement, standing at the corner of West 74th Street and Detroit Avenue in Cleveland. Built in 1906-07 and designed by Cleveland school architect Frank S. Barnum, it has an L-shaped plan with its main entrance set on a diagonal at the inner angle, facing a park-like lawn. Dark red brick is trimmed with buff glazed terra cotta, and a broad terrace fronts the entrance. Inside, an octagonal first-floor assembly hall sits at the center, flanked by unusual triangular stairways and a curved second-floor hallway. The building is significant for its classical detailing, its plan unlike any other Cleveland school, and its role in the shift from mill construction to fireproof schools. Reinforced concrete floors and roof reflect that change. A large addition from 1969 stands to the south, and the original section was abandoned as a school in the 1980s.","period_of_significance":"1906-07","architect_builder":"Barnum, Frank Seymour","architectural_style":"Renaissance Revival (Second Renaissance Revival detailing)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The original 1906-07 section was abandoned as a school in the 1980s and listed as vacant, not in use; only the 1969 addition continued to function as a school.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:15.192265-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/92001354.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71987464","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/cuyahoga-county/watterson-school-92001354/"}