Coeymans School
Also known as: Acton Civill Polytechnic Institute
Why it's listed
Rising above the village of Coeymans on the Hudson River, this three-story red brick building was erected, apparently in 1873, as the Acton Civill Polytechnic Institute. Civill, a Coeymans native who became a New York City businessman, bought the land in 1865 and 1870 and built the academy, but it never opened as a school during his lifetime. The Board of Education bought it in 1899, and it served as a public school until 1963. The building has brick bearing walls, a slate mansard-style roof and an unusually large amount of cast iron detail, including quoins, window labels, balustrades, towers, chimneys and a columned entrance porch inscribed 1873. The front is five bays wide and the sides eleven. A rear auditorium-gymnasium was added in 1929 and 1930. Its size and robust design make it a village landmark and a surviving example of the nineteenth-century private academy and of educational philanthropy.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the building as a local episode in nineteenth-century educational philanthropy, tied to the career of Acton Civill. It is also a landmark in Coeymans because of its size, character and position, and a fine example of period design with an unusual amount of cast iron detail. It represents the private school or academy type common in New York communities.
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 70000418, listed December 29, 1970. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | SW corner of Westerlo St. and Civill Ave., Coeymans |
|---|---|
| County | Albany County |
| Listed | December 29, 1970 |
| Reference number | 70000418 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (specific date 1873) |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as fair and altered; it served as a public school until 1963, was sold in 1969 to the Coeymans Fire District No. 1 and leased to the volunteer fire company. |
| Within district | Coeymans Landing Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.47281, -73.79805 (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 70000418.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5140863
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.