Washington School
Why it's listed
Washington School, at 40 Vernon Street in Taunton, is a brick primary school completed in 1897 and designed by architect Gustavus L. Smith. The city built it during an extensive program of school and public building construction between 1880 and 1930, partly to relieve overcrowding at the Cohannet Street, Pine Street and Winthrop Street schools. The two-story building has a semi-exposed basement and a T-shaped plan formed by a long main block and a projecting central pavilion. Its most striking feature is an entrance tower with a round-arched doorway and an open belfry under a bell-cast pyramidal roof. Tall, round-arched windows reflect Italianate influence, while the large semicircular fanlight over the entrance suggests Georgian Revival design. The hipped roof has a deck and a bracketed cornice. It is regarded as a locally distinguished example of eclectic late nineteenth-century institutional architecture and one of three schools by the same architect. At the time of listing it stood vacant, with rehabilitation for housing underway.
Significance in brief: It is described as a locally distinguished example of eclectic late 19th century institutional architecture, combining Italianate and Georgian Revival elements. It was one of three schools by the same area architect, built in response to Taunton's population growth. It is also the fifth oldest masonry school still standing in the city.
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 84002261, listed July 5, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 40 Vernon St., Taunton |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | July 5, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002261 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Gustavus L. Smith |
| Architectural style | Elements of Italianate, Georgian Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as vacant on the inventory form, which also notes it was being rehabilitated for housing following the Secretary of the Interior's Standards. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.89591, -71.10564 (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 84002261.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7972173
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.