Bowditch School
Why it's listed
Built between 1890 and 1892 at the corner of Greene and Cheshire Streets in Jamaica Plain, this Boston school is a Classical Revival building of sandy-colored brick with North River stone trim, set on a quarry-faced granite base under a slate hipped roof. Harrison Henry Atwood, Boston's City Architect at the time, designed it as a twelve-room grammar school with a third-floor exhibition hall, which later served as an auditorium. Inside, the three main floors are arranged around central corridors with maple floors, plaster arches and beaded-board wainscot. The school went up during the 1880s and 1890s development boom that followed streetcar expansion, when many schools and public buildings were built in the area. It served as a public school for nearly ninety years. A 1943 fire damaged the auditorium, attic and roof, but repairs followed original details. Exterior changes were limited largely to rear fire escapes. The city declared the building surplus in 1981, and it has been vacant since.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is tied to the growth of Jamaica Plain and its public education during the 1880s-1890s suburban building boom (Criterion A). It is also a nearly unaltered, well-proportioned Classical Revival school by a prominent local architect and politician (Criterion 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 90001145, listed August 3, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 80--82 Greene St., Boston |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | August 3, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90001145 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1890-1939 |
| Architect / builder | Atwood, Harrison Henry |
| Architectural style | Late 19th/20th Century Revivals/Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Declared surplus by the City of Boston in July 1981 and vacant since then; some water damage, graffiti, broken windows and minor vandalism. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.31174, -71.10951 (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 90001145.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4950750
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.