Rockport High School
Why it's listed
Rockport High School is a two-story Colonial Revival building at 4 Broadway, near the town's central commercial district. Completed in 1925 to designs by the Boston firm J. William Beal & Sons, it is built of brick with granite sills and a granite belt course, a flat roof with a low parapet, and a five-bay central pavilion with brick piers and wood capitals. The plan is an inverted T, with classrooms and offices in the main block and an auditorium ell behind. The interior keeps most original finishes and its layout. The school was designed for 275 students in the upper six grades and cost $125,000. It replaced an 1865 high school considered overcrowded, outdated and unsafe, and was the town's first modern school in design and facilities. It served as a high school until the 1960s, then as school administration offices. It has been vacant since 1988. It was listed for its role in the growth of Rockport's schools.
Significance in brief: The school is significant for its association with the development of Rockport's school system. It replaced an overcrowded, outdated and unsafe 1865 high school and was the first "modern" school built in the town. It retains integrity of design, setting, materials and workmanship, and is of local significance.
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 97000498, listed May 30, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 4 Broadway, Rockport |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | May 30, 1997 |
| Reference number | 97000498 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1925-1946 |
| Architect / builder | J. Williams Beal & Sons |
| Architectural style | Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant since 1988, when the town built a new school complex for all grades and administration offices. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.65781, -70.61706 (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 97000498.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7355541
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.