Nott Street School
Why it's listed
Nott Street School, at 487 Nott Street in Schenectady, began in 1877 as a four-room brick schoolhouse serving the city's Third Ward. An eight-room addition, finished in 1909, extends at an angle from the rear along Devine Street and followed a template used for new Schenectady schools of the time, with concrete construction, terrazzo finishes, wide entrances and ample light. The expansion let the school teach grades 1 through 8 and brought the city's first manual training program for seventh and eighth grade boys. In 1923 it became an intermediate school, and in 1929 it housed special classes. The school system closed it in 1942. Wartime rationing offices and later county social services used the building until 2009, and it is now vacant. Though its windows and original gabled roof have been altered, the plan and much of the 1909 character survive. It is the oldest surviving public school in Schenectady and reflects the city's response to rapid population growth.
Significance in brief: The school is locally significant in education under Criterion A for its link to the growth of Schenectady's public school system. It is the oldest extant public school in the city. Its 1909 expansion allowed a fully graded elementary school and hosted the city's first manual training program. The building retains the form, plan and materials from that expansion.
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 11000970, listed December 29, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 487 Nott St., Schenectady |
|---|---|
| County | Schenectady County |
| Listed | December 29, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000970 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1877-1942 |
| Architectural style | Late 19th & Early 20th Century Revivals |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as offices after closing as a school in 1942; the county social services department left in 2009 and the building is currently vacant, in good condition. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.82304, -73.93073 (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 11000970.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q23091966
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.