Altaville Grammar School
Also known as: Old Altaville School,The; Red Brick Grammar School
Why it's listed
Built in 1858, this one-room brick schoolhouse on North Main Street in Altaville served as the community's only school until 1950. Funds for construction were raised at a dance in a local billiard saloon, and the land was donated by Thomas Frazier. The building is a simple rectangle measuring 34 by 24 feet, with a gabled front, an oculus, a wood cornice with end returns, and a wood bell tower. Its brickwork details, such as flat arches over doors and windows, reflect local builder knowledge rather than formal Greek Revival ornament. Brick was rare in an area where wood Greek Revival houses were common. The school became a State Landmark and is regarded as one of the oldest schoolhouses in California and a landmark of the Mother Lode region. At the time of listing it stood vacant, with boarded windows, missing portions of the bell tower and a failing rear wall, though most original fabric remained.
Significance in brief: The nomination ties the school to the development of Altaville, where it was the only educational facility until 1950 and is one of the oldest schoolhouses in California. It is also argued to be architecturally significant as a vernacular translation of Greek Revival design, with brick construction that was rare locally.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 79000471, listed August 24, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 125 N. Main St., Altaville |
|---|---|
| County | Calaveras County |
| Listed | August 24, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79000471 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1858 (erected 1858) |
| Architect / builder | Builder unknown |
| Architectural style | Vernacular adaptation of Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as vacant and unoccupied; deteriorated and altered, with boarded windows, missing parts of the bell tower and a collapsing rear wall. No restoration plans existed at the time. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 38.08285, -120.56200 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 79000471.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4736198
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.