Story Grammar School
Why it's listed
Story Grammar School, at 140 Elm Street in Marblehead, is a red brick schoolhouse completed in 1880. It rises two and a half stories under a hipped slate roof, with a shallow central pedimented pavilion, granite trim, and a brick classical cornice. Inside, the original plan held four classrooms on the first floor and two classrooms plus an auditorium above. The town appropriated $17,500 for it, far more than earlier school projects, and it was the first masonry school and the largest built in Marblehead to that date. It also had a heating and ventilating system that allowed year-round use. The architect is unknown, but the design closely resembles the 1790 Marblehead Academy, which may explain its early use of Colonial Revival styling. The school was named for Joseph Story, the Marblehead-born Supreme Court justice. It operated until 1978 and was converted to eight condominium homes in 1984.
Significance in brief: Built in 1880, it represents the first significant financial commitment to public education by the town of Marblehead, and was the first masonry and largest school built in the town to that time. Its restrained Colonial Revival design is a relatively early use of a style later popular for schools, and may reflect the demolished 1790 Marblehead Academy. It meets criteria A and C at the local level.
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 86000378, listed March 13, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 140 Elm St., Marblehead |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | March 13, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86000378 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 (specific date 1880) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The school closed in 1978 and was converted to eight condominium residential units in 1984, in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation; the building is occupied and in good condition. |
| Acreage | 0.6 |
| Within district | Marblehead Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.50463, -70.85481 (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 86000378.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7620380
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.