State Normal Training School
Also known as: Washington Street School
Why it's listed
Built in 1899/1900 on Washington Street in Westfield, this red brick school served as the practice and training school for the nearby State Normal School. Designed by Gardner, Pyne and Gardner, it rises two and a half stories above a full basement under a double hip roof, with brownstone trim, dog tooth brickwork and decorative rafter feet. Its west entry carries a carved brownstone arch and a lintel engraved "State Normal Training School 1899." The exterior is unchanged since construction, and much of the interior, including pine wainscoting and pressed metal ceilings, survives. Student teachers practiced here while the building also served as a regular school for the community. Westfield's normal school and training school together reflect a late 19th century shift toward professional teacher preparation. The Westfield State used the building for about fifty years before it passed to the local school system in 1956 and to the city in 1977. It is now vacant, with rehabilitation for offices planned.
Significance in brief: It is an outstanding local example of late Victorian institutional architecture by a prominent regional firm. It also housed the training school for the Westfield State Normal School, described as the second oldest public teacher training school in the nation, reflecting the professionalization of teaching in the late 19th century.
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 83000769, listed July 7, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Washington St., Westfield |
|---|---|
| County | Hampden County |
| Listed | July 7, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000769 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Gardner, Pyne & Gardner, architects |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival (late Victorian) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as unoccupied and vacant, owned by the City of Westfield; a rehabilitation to stabilize the building and convert it to office space was planned. |
| Acreage | 0.7 |
| Coordinates | 42.12206, -72.75164 (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 83000769.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7603445
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.