Davol School
Why it's listed
Davol School, at 112 Flint Street in Fall River, is a two-story brick grammar school built between 1892 and 1894 to designs by Joseph M. Darling, a prolific local architect. Its Romanesque Revival design is marked by a square four-level central tower with an arched entrance and open belfry. Brownstone sill and lintel courses, a slate hipped roof, a copper weathervane, a bracketed cornice and corbelled brick chimneys remain largely intact. Inside, four classrooms occupy each floor, with restrooms and utility rooms in the basement. The school was built as Fall River's mill economy attracted new residents and demand for classrooms grew; between 1894 and 1900 the city added 64 classrooms. The same plan was used for the Connell School on Plymouth Avenue, a practical and economical choice. Darling also designed other city schools and many commercial buildings. The school was listed as a well-preserved example of the late nineteenth-century brick grammar school, and it still serves as a school.
Significance in brief: The school is a well-detailed, well-constructed and virtually intact example of the late 19th-century eight-room brick grammar school. It shares its plan with the Connell School and reflects Fall River's rapid school building as the mill economy drew a growing population. It meets criterion C.
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 83000661, listed February 16, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 112 Flint St., Fall River |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | February 16, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000661 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Joseph M. Darling |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as the present use being a school, owned by the City of Fall River; exterior details described as largely intact. |
| Acreage | 0.7 |
| Coordinates | 41.69290, -71.13523 (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 83000661.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5242069
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.