South Union School
Why it's listed
South Union School at 21 Highland Street, Southborough, is a brick Classical Revival schoolhouse built in 1911-1912 to designs by Frank Irving Cooper of Cooper & Bailey, a Boston firm. It sits on a hilly site at the top of a circular driveway, reached by a monumental rubblestone and granite stair. The building has two stories on a raised basement, cast-stone and wood trim, and a projecting central frontispiece with two entries. Inside, it was planned with three classrooms, a second-floor assembly hall for 265 people, a domestic science room and a branch library room. The school opened in December 1912 and served 67 children in grades 1-9. The Southville Branch Library operated upstairs from 1915 to 1953. Classes ended in 1980, and the building now holds town offices, art studios and exhibition space. A 2003 elevator shaft added accessibility. It was listed for its architecture and its role in local education and community life.
Significance in brief: The nomination cites the building under Criteria A and C, in the areas of Architecture, Education and Social History. It is an example of Classical Revival school design by Frank Irving Cooper, a school architect. It also served the southern part of Southborough as a school, assembly hall and branch library.
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 11000021, listed February 18, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 21 Highland St, Southborough |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | February 18, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000021 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1911-1960 |
| Architect / builder | Frank Irving Cooper of Cooper & Bailey, Boston |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Education, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Last used as a school in 1979-1980; now houses town offices, art studios, an auditorium and gallery space, with a 2003 elevator addition. |
| Acreage | 4 |
| Coordinates | 42.26828, -71.53013 (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 11000021.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16900371
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.