Public School No. 10
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Why it's listed
Public School No. 10 is a three-story brick school at the corner of Adams and Third Streets in South Troy, New York. Completed in 1898, it has an H-shaped plan, hard glazed orange brick walls, limestone and terra cotta trim, and a double-hipped slate roof with dormers. The east entrance has a terra cotta portico with paired Ionic columns. Inside, six classrooms open off corridors on each main floor, and the attic served as a gymnasium. The design came from M.F. Cummings and Son, a prolific Troy firm that designed at least eight schools in the city, and School 10 is one of three similar schools the firm produced within about two years, each with different decorative detail. The building reflects late-nineteenth-century school design and Troy's commitment to public education during rapid industrial growth. Converted to apartments in 1992, it keeps its original classroom layout, wood trim, blackboards and other finishes, and retains exceptional integrity inside and out.
Significance in brief: The building is significant for education and architecture as a distinctive and highly intact example of a late-nineteenth-century school type in Troy. It reflects typical school design of the period, including a utilitarian plan, a second-floor principal's office over the main entrance, an attic gymnasium and progressive ventilation systems. It is also a fine work of one of Troy's most prolific architectural firms.
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 94001281, listed November 4, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 77 Adams St., Troy |
|---|---|
| County | Rensselaer County |
| Listed | November 4, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94001281 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1898 |
| Architect / builder | M.F. Cummings and Son |
| Architectural style | Georgian Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Converted to multi-family residential use in 1992; original classroom divisions and many original finishes survive, and the building retains a high level of integrity. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.72277, -73.69248 (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 94001281.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7257564
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.