Donaghy, Thomas, School
Why it's listed
Completed in 1905 at 68 South Street, the Thomas Donaghy School is a 12-room, 2 1/2-story brick building in the Romanesque Revival style, with a granite foundation, slate hipped roof and corbelled brick cornice. Architect Samuel C. Hunt designed it for land that belonged to Thomas Donaghy, a respected New Bedford merchant, and the school took his name. It was built as the city's population jumped from about 40,000 in 1890 to over 120,000 in 1920, as cotton textile mills drew workers and their families to the south central neighborhood. The plan reflects the modern school of its day: classrooms arranged off a central corridor, with large vertical shafts meant to ventilate each room. Hunt designed seven of the thirteen New Bedford schools built between 1890 and 1908. The school served the community until 1977 and has stood vacant since. Plans call for converting it into 24 moderate-income apartments while keeping the corridors intact.
Significance in brief: The school is significant locally under Criteria A and C. It represents New Bedford's rapid population growth during industrialization, driven by the cotton textile mills, and it is a fine example of the new generation of school buildings, with a central corridor and a ventilation shaft system. It is also typical of the work of Samuel C. Hunt, principal architect of the city's public buildings.
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 89000041, listed March 2, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 68 South St., New Bedford |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | March 2, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000041 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1905-1935 |
| Architect / builder | SAMUEL C. HUNT |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed as a school in 1977 and mothballed; vacant since then, with rehabilitation into 24 moderate-income housing units proposed. |
| Acreage | 1.2 |
| Coordinates | 41.62586, -70.92313 (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 89000041.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7789015
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.