Rockland High School
Also known as: McKinley School
Why it's listed
Rockland High School, at 394 Union Street, is a red brick Colonial Revival school completed for occupancy in October 1909. Designed by the Boston firm Cooper & Bailey and built by Mead, Mason & Company for $51,200, it was the town's first brick schoolhouse. A central pavilion with two Ionic columns, brick piers and a pediment marks the entry, and cast stone keystones, sills and a full cornice trim the walls. A slate hip roof covers the main block, and a rear addition was built in 1973. The school replaced a series of small and crowded buildings after Rockland separated from Abington in 1874 and voters approved funds for a new high school in 1903. Its architect, Frank Irving Cooper, trained in H. H. Richardson's office and designed about two hundred schools across New England. The building was listed for its architecture and its role in the town's educational history. Inside, chalkboards, wood trim, crown molding and tin ceilings survive.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school retains integrity of design, setting, materials and workmanship and is tied to the development of Rockland as an independent town. It is described as one of Rockland's finest architectural examples, designed by Frank Irving Cooper, a prominent New England designer of school buildings. It is of local significance under criteria A and C.
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 89000217, listed March 23, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 394 Union St., Rockland |
|---|---|
| County | Plymouth County |
| Listed | March 23, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000217 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1908-1939 |
| Architect / builder | Cooper & Bailey (Frank Irving Cooper); builders Mead, Mason & Company |
| Architectural style | Late 19th & Early 20th Century Revival: Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Interior recently altered and the building converted to a center for handicapped children; the arrangement of spaces remains. Current function is listed as secondary school education. |
| Acreage | 1.3 |
| Coordinates | 42.14886, -70.91748 (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 89000217.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7355448
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.