Main Street School
Why it's listed
Main Street School in Port Washington, New York, is a brick Georgian Revival school crowning the highest hill in the hamlet, overlooking Manhasset Harbor. Designed by local architects Frank Cornell and Ralph Dusinberre and built by Smull and Walsh, it was finished in 1909 after the newly consolidated school district bought a 5.5-acre site. The two-story building has stone detailing, a steep gable roof, five round-headed dormers and a cupola with four clock faces. Rapid population growth, driven by the arrival of the railroad and Northern Boulevard, soon crowded the classrooms, so Cornell added two three-story wings in 1917 that preserved the building's symmetry. It first served as the town's twelve-year school and later became an elementary school. Because Port Washington has no town hall, the building also acts as the community's most prominent civic landmark. It was listed for its architecture and its long role in local education.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as a distinguished, monumentally scaled example of early twentieth century Georgian Revival architecture and the most prominent civic landmark in a hamlet with no town hall of its own. It is the oldest extant school in Port Washington and has been tied to local education since 1909.
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 83001714, listed February 10, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Main and S. Washington St., Port Washington |
|---|---|
| County | Nassau County |
| Listed | February 10, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83001714 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Ralph Dusinberre & Frank Cornell |
| Architectural style | Georgian Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and still in use as an elementary school and community educational and cultural center; condition listed as good and altered. |
| Acreage | 5.5 |
| Coordinates | 40.83072, -73.69632 (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 83001714.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6736168
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.