Myrtle Street School
Why it's listed
Myrtle Street School is a brick complex at 64 Myrtle Street in Indian Orchard, a mill village in northeastern Springfield. It was built in three stages. James M. Currier designed the 1868 Second Empire building with a slate mansard roof. E. C. and G. C. Gardner added Classical Revival wings in 1903-04 and 1914-15, joined by a columned entry pavilion. A gymnasium at the rear has an Egyptian Revival entrance, which the nomination describes as the only known example in Springfield apart from a few cemetery buildings. The 1914 addition also held an assembly hall seating nearly 700, which made the school a social center for the village. It is the largest public structure in Indian Orchard and the only survivor of six large post-Civil War brick schools built in Springfield. Eugene Gardner was a nationally known writer on schoolhouse design. The school closed in the early 1980s and is slated for conversion to elderly housing.
Significance in brief: The school is a well-preserved example of Second Empire and Classical Revival school architecture, and its three construction phases show how schoolhouse design changed from the 19th to the 20th century. It is also tied to prominent architects and to the growth of Indian Orchard, a planned mid-19th-century mill village. It is the largest public structure in the village.
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 85000024, listed January 3, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 64 Myrtle St., Springfield |
|---|---|
| County | Hampden County |
| Listed | January 3, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85000024 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1868-1915 |
| Architect / builder | J.M. Currier; E.C. & G.C. Gardner |
| Architectural style | Second Empire and Classical Revival (gymnasium entrance with Egyptian Revival detailing) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The school served its original function until the early 1980s. It is now closed and unoccupied, and is slated for conversion to housing for the elderly. |
| Acreage | 2.3 |
| Coordinates | 42.15851, -72.50658 (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 85000024.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6948635
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.