Primrose Street Schoolhouse
Why it's listed
Built in 1868 by the City of Haverhill as a primary school, this two-story brick building at 71 Primrose Street follows plans by Josiah Littlefield that were used for several local schoolhouses. Only it and the altered Locust Street Schoolhouse remain. It has a rectangular plan, a gabled facade, a deep boxed cornice, 6/6 windows and granite sills and lintels. The school closed in the late 1890s and was used for city storage until 1909, when the city sold it to Carmine DePalma, an Italian-born shoemaker. Between 1910 and 1913 he converted it into a two-family house, adding balconies, an exterior staircase, an enclosed porch and interior fittings salvaged from other Victorian buildings. He also placed a Columbus statue and red, white, blue and green flagpoles in the yard. Later uses included rental housing, a nursery school, a day-care center and social service offices until 1980. The building is significant for its architecture and for its link to Haverhill's Italian community.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is one of Haverhill's few surviving mid-to-late nineteenth-century schoolhouses and retains the main elements of its original design. It also reflects the 1910-1913 conversion by Carmine DePalma, an Italian-born shoemaker, which ties it to Haverhill's Italian community and to changing community development patterns. The conversion reused interior features salvaged from other Victorian 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 83000582, listed June 23, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 71 Primrose St., Haverhill |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | June 23, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000582 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Josiah Littlefield (1868) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Other, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as unoccupied and vacant; the facade balconies and north staircase were being restored at the time of the nomination. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.77929, -71.08463 (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 83000582.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7243678
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.