{"nrhp_refnum":"97000496","name":"Pearl Street School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"75 Pearl St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Reading","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.53077025400006,"lon":-71.09849117299996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-05-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story red brick former elementary school at 75 Pearl Street in Reading, Massachusetts, built in 1939 to designs by architect George H. Sidebottom and built by Frankini Construction Company.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant for its role in developing Reading's education system and as the town's only structure funded through the Public Works Administration. It was the first new elementary school built in Reading in 50 years and consolidated students from three older wooden schools. It meets Criterion A at the local level.","narrative":"Pearl Street School is a two-story red brick building at 75 Pearl Street in Reading, completed in 1939. Its design mixes Colonial Revival, Classical Revival and Art Deco elements, including a modillion cornice, brick quoins, 12/12 wood windows, patterned entry surrounds and tile-lined corridors. It sits on a 4.86-acre lot on the site of the former town almshouse, or Poor Farm, whose 1818 farmhouse was razed after the school was built. The school was the first new elementary school in Reading in 50 years and the town's only building funded by the Public Works Administration, which paid 45 percent of the cost. With 15 classrooms and an auditorium, it was fire-resistant and replaced three wooden schools, bringing 413 students together. It closed as a school in 1984 and later housed tenants, including a senior center, and is now used as multiple dwellings.","period_of_significance":"1939-1946","architect_builder":"Sidebottom, George H., architect; Frankini Construction Company, builder","architectural_style":"Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, Art Deco","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"School closed in June 1984; space was later leased to tenants including a senior center, and the current function is listed as multiple dwelling.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:05.015161-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/30/7961/63796130/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/97000496.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000496/89d43140a4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000496/89d43140a4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ReadingMA_PearlStreetSchool.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</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:ReadingMA_PearlStreetSchool.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796130","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Street_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14715810"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/pearl-street-school-97000496/"}