Daniels, Charles A., School
Why it's listed
Charles A. Daniels School is a monumental red brick schoolhouse on Daniels Street in Malden, Massachusetts, about five miles north of Boston. Built around 1906-1907 to designs by the Boston firm Brainerd and Leeds, it has an H-shaped plan, a gabled three-story main block, and two-story flanking wings. Limestone and granite trim, buff brick quoins, stepped gables and an elaborate granite entry give it a distinctive Tudor Revival character. The school was built for Ward 7, a fast-growing area of immigrant workers' housing where the older Lincoln School was badly overcrowded. Its large windows, two-sided classroom exposure, wide corridors and ventilation system followed the school design ideas of the day. It is the only Tudor-inspired school among Malden's institutional buildings. It was named for Charles A. Daniels, a longtime local educator and superintendent. A 1957 addition is considered noncontributing. The school closed in 1981 and has been vacant since, with residential conversion planned.
Significance in brief: The school is argued to meet Criteria A and C at the local level. It reflects Malden's rapid population and industrial growth around 1900 and the period's educational theories of light and ventilation. It is also the only Tudor Revival school in Malden and the city's only work by Brainerd and Leeds.
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 86003562, listed January 6, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Daniels St., Malden |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | January 6, 1987 |
| Reference number | 86003562 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Brainerd & Leeds |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed as a school in 1981 and vacant since; plans call for converting the 1906 building to residential use and demolishing the 1957 addition for townhouses. |
| Acreage | 3.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.42893, -71.05315 (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 86003562.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5074826
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.