{"nrhp_refnum":"95000669","name":"Guy Park Avenue School","other_names":["Walter Elwood Museum"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"300 Guy Park Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Amsterdam","county":"Montgomery County","state":"NY","lat":42.94978390800003,"lon":-74.20823983899999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1995-06-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick Neoclassical-style elementary school at 300 Guy Park Avenue in Amsterdam, Montgomery County, New York, built in 1902 and opened in 1904. It now houses the Walter Elwood Museum.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is an intact, representative example of early twentieth-century urban school architecture tied to Amsterdam's industrial growth. It was the first of four new public elementary schools built in the city in the early 1900s. It also continues to serve the community's educational life as a museum.","narrative":"Guy Park Avenue School is a two-story brick building on a raised cut-stone basement in western Amsterdam, New York. Built in 1902 and opened in 1904, it is attributed to local architect Bernard Machold. Its Neoclassical details include brick pilasters, a round-arched cast stone entrance, a pedimented central pavilion and a pressed metal cornice. Inside, a center hall separates symmetrical classrooms, and original embossed metal ceilings, wood wainscoting and tall doors survive. The school was built as Amsterdam's carpet-mill economy swelled the population and the city spread westward along Guy Park Avenue, where wealthy residents pushed for a neighborhood school. It was the first of four new elementary schools erected in the city in the early twentieth century. After classes ended in 1968, the building became the home of the Walter Elwood Museum, which holds natural and local history collections and offers exhibitions and art classes. It remains a recognized civic landmark with high integrity.","period_of_significance":"1902","architect_builder":"Bernard Machold","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Fully occupied by the Walter Elwood Museum, used for school and community programs; closed as a public school in 1968.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:50.108579-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/95000669.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000669/67f7d176e2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000669/67f7d176e2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Jess","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_York_-_Guy_Park_Avenue_School_-_20190930135647.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jess</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:New_York_-_Guy_Park_Avenue_School_-_20190930135647.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75319023","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Park_Avenue_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5622526"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/montgomery-county/guy-park-avenue-school-95000669/"}