District School No. 7
Also known as: "The Little Red Schoolhouse"
Why it's listed
District School No. 7 is a one-room brick schoolhouse on NYS Route 143 in Coeymans Hollow, Albany County. Built in 1879 and opened in 1880, it replaced an earlier wooden school that the district had owned since 1830. The building is a single story with common-bond brick walls, a stone foundation, broad overhanging eaves, hood-molded windows and doors, and an open wooden belfry. The interior keeps its original plan of an entrance vestibule and one classroom, along with bead board walls, wainscoting and plank floors. The design reflects nineteenth-century school reforms, including a separate entry vestibule, high ceilings for ventilation and evenly spaced windows for light. Students used the school for 88 years until it closed in 1957. A historical society later bought it and operates it as a local history museum. Its high degree of preservation makes it a rare surviving example of a once-common building type and a reminder of the hamlet's past.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is architecturally significant as a well-preserved, highly intact one-room brick schoolhouse and an important regional example of Italianate-inspired schoolhouse design in New York. It also reflects nineteenth-century school reform and the history of education in the town of Coeymans and the small hamlet of Coeymans Hollow.
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 96000562, listed May 16, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NY 143, approximately .25 mi. W of jct. with Co. Rt. 103, Coeymans Hollow |
|---|---|
| County | Albany County |
| Listed | May 16, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000562 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1879-1946 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Education |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed as a school in 1957; now maintained and operated as a local history museum by a historical society. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.47393, -73.89971 (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 96000562.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5283376
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.