East High School
Why it's listed
East High School is a three-story brick school at 410 Alexander Street in Rochester, completed in 1902 from designs by local architect J. Foster Warner. Its U-shaped plan opens toward the street, with classroom wings flanking a central assembly and administrative block and twin Italianate campanile rising above the roofline. Stone belt courses, quoins, keystones and medallions detail the exterior, while the interior includes skylit cast-iron stair halls and a decorative two-story assembly hall. The school opened in April 1903 as the first of a citywide building program prompted by rapidly growing high school enrollment. It was designed for 1,200 students and combined classrooms, laboratories, a library, gymnasiums, a museum and a gallery in one building. Unlike Warner's other school buildings, it has seen only minor alterations, and his original blueprints survive. These qualities make it a rare intact example of his Renaissance-style work. At the time of listing the building stood empty and was being converted into apartments.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is an excellent example of the Italian Renaissance style applied to a large institutional building. It launched the Board of Education's new building program and was among the first Rochester schools to house many educational facilities under one roof. It is also a rare intact example of Warner's school designs, and his original blueprints survive.
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 83001707, listed June 30, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 410 Alexander St., Rochester |
|---|---|
| County | Monroe County |
| Listed | June 30, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83001707 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1902 |
| Architect / builder | J. Foster Warner |
| Architectural style | Italian Renaissance |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as unoccupied and empty at the time of nomination; being converted into eighty-five housing units using rehabilitation tax incentives. Condition rated fair. |
| Acreage | 3 |
| Within district | East Avenue Historic District |
| Coordinates | 43.15971, -77.59169 (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 83001707.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5328596
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.