Sherburne High School
Why it's listed
Sherburne High School, at 16 Chapel Street, is a three-story terra-cotta brick school built in 1924-25 and expanded in 1935. Rochester architect J. Mills Platt designed the original building, trimmed with Norwich blue stone and made fireproof with steel joists and concrete floors. After Platt's death, Raymond A. Freeburg designed the 1935 addition, which was partly paid for by a Public Works Administration grant and added a gymnasium, cafeteria, clock and a cast-stone owl. The design is a restrained Collegiate Gothic, with large banks of windows lighting classrooms along long corridors, plus an auditorium and gymnasium. The school was listed because it is an intact example of the consolidated school type. It began by serving five districts and grew to serve many more as rural districts merged, helped by bus transportation. It also reflects early twentieth century ideals about education and served as a source of civic pride. It closed as a school in 1980 and was being rehabilitated.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is an intact, representative example of the early twentieth century consolidated school building type, with an intact auditorium, gymnasium and corridor plan. The 1935 wing, partly funded by a Public Works Administration grant, reflects New Deal civic architecture. It also illustrates the national trend of consolidating small school districts and community belief in education.
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 88002185, listed November 3, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 16 Chapel St., Sherburne |
|---|---|
| County | Chenango County |
| Listed | November 3, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002185 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1924-1935 |
| Architect / builder | J. Mills Platt; Raymond Freeburg |
| Architectural style | Collegiate Gothic |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant at the time of nomination and undergoing restoration/rehabilitation for professional and residential use. |
| Acreage | 5.5 |
| Within district | Sherburne Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.67589, -75.49366 (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 88002185.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7494772
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.