Bark Street School
Why it's listed
Bark Street School, at Stevens Road and Bark Street in Swansea, is a one-story shingled schoolhouse completed in 1905. Louis G. Destremps & Son designed it and Edgar W. Hardy built it for $2,880. It has a cobblestone foundation, a hipped roof, a square cupola with louvered openings, and a center entry sheltered by a shed-roof overhang on large triangular knee braces. Low horizontal lines and bands of windows suggest Prairie style influence. It is the only frame Colonial Revival school in a town dominated by brick school buildings, and it is the oldest continuously used school in Swansea. The town built it as a two-classroom primary school for up to 80 pupils, anticipating growth in the neighborhood. By the 1920s about 100 students crowded into it, and a two-classroom rear addition of similar design, scale and materials was added around 1930. It remains an elementary school in excellent condition.
Significance in brief: It is the only frame Colonial Revival school in Swansea, a town dominated by brick school buildings, and it is well preserved with a sympathetic rear addition. It is also the oldest continuously used school building in the town, built during early 20th century suburbanization of southeastern Swansea.
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 90000062, listed February 16, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Stevens Rd. at Bark St., Swansea |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | February 16, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000062 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Louis G. Destremps & Son (architect); Edgar W. Hardy (builder) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in excellent condition and still used as an elementary school. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.74948, -71.16339 (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.
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 90000062.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4860871
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.