Borden, N. B., School
Why it's listed
Built in 1867-68 at 43 Morgan Street, the N. B. Borden School is a Second Empire schoolhouse of red pressed brick with brownstone trim. It has a mansard roof, a center bay that projects forward with a brownstone entrance, brownstone beltcourses, incised lintels and shed-roofed dormers with paired arch-topped lintels. City documents record a construction cost of $17,008.21 and do not name an architect. The school was one of several built in Fall River during the prosperous years of 1868-79, after the district school system was abolished in 1863. George W. Bronson was the first principal, in 1869. Four single-story frame cottages once stood behind it and served as classrooms. Later, the girls' division of the Diman Vocational School used the building. The nomination describes it as the oldest school in Fall River still in continuous use and the only surviving brick mansard example. It is the key building of the Ridge Street subsection of the Corky Row neighborhood, and it was listed under criteria A and C.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the oldest school in Fall River still in continuous use and the only surviving brick mansard-roofed example in the city. It is described as architecturally distinguished and as having helped educate the city's early civic and industrial leaders. It is also the key structure of the Ridge Street subsection of the Corky Row neighborhood.
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 83000631, listed February 16, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 43 Morgan St., Fall River |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | February 16, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000631 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as the oldest school in Fall River still in continuous use; the form lists the present use as school. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 41.69718, -71.14745 (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 83000631.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6951599
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.