Warren First Congregational Church-Federated Church
Why it's listed
Woods Hole School is a wooden schoolhouse on School Street in the village of Woods Hole, Falmouth, with grounds running back to Eel Pond. It began in 1870 as a two-room building with a front gable, small cupola and Italianate details. In 1885-86 the town added two rooms and north and south wings, giving it a cruciform plan, Stick/Queen Anne ornament, shingled and clapboard walls, and a two-stage cupola with a brass bell. S.D. Kelley served as architect and Mead, Mason & Co. as builder, at a cost of over $11,000. The land was given to the town by Joseph Fay in 1851. Beyond serving local children, the building has been the summer home since 1913 of a school that grew into the Children's School of Science, built around field study of the surrounding shores and marshes. It is valued for this educational role and as one of the town's few surviving Victorian institutional buildings.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is significant for its role in educating the Woods Hole community and for hosting summer science programs for children. It is also presented as a fine and rare surviving example of Victorian institutional architecture in the town. It meets 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 82000473, listed November 27, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 25 Winthrop Terrace, Warren |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | November 27, 2004 |
| Reference number | 82000473 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 and 1900- |
| Architect / builder | S.D. Kelley, architect; Mead, Mason & Co., builder (1885) |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Stick/Queen Anne, with earlier vernacular Italianate influence |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in good condition; houses students in kindergarten through grade four, but threatened with closing due to severe budget cuts. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 41.52491, -70.66904 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
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 82000473.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16903657
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.