St. Joseph's School
Why it's listed
Built in 1924 on Gould Street in Wakefield, St. Joseph's School is a two-story brick building raised on a high basement. The Boston architectural firm Maginnis & Walsh, known for many Catholic institutional buildings including several at Boston College, designed it in the Neo-Gothic or Collegiate Gothic style. That style was chosen to evoke medieval England during its revival of learning and to create an atmosphere suited to education. The building follows a modified C-shaped plan that was popular for American schools in the 1920s and 1930s. It is one of few Neo-Gothic buildings in town and remains well preserved, with no major alterations and no outbuildings. The school grew out of a Catholic community that began with the first mass in South Reading in 1850 and expanded with Irish and then Italian immigrants. The Sisters of Saint Joseph taught at the school, which opened with one class and added a class each year until it had eight.
Significance in brief: It is one of the few examples of the Neo-Gothic style in Wakefield and a well-preserved example of the type of Catholic institutional building designed by Maginnis & Walsh. Its modified C-shaped plan was popular for American schools in the 1920s and 30s. It retains its integrity and meets Criterion 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 89000749, listed July 6, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Gould St., Wakefield |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 6, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000749 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Maginnis & Walsh |
| Architectural style | Neo-Gothic (Collegiate Gothic) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in excellent condition, with no major alterations; the form lists its present use as a school. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.50078, -71.07875 (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 89000749.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7401566
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.