Bedford School
Also known as: Birmingham School No. 1
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Why it's listed
Built in 1850 as Birmingham School #1, this three-story Greek Revival brick building on Bingham Street in Pittsburgh's Allegheny County was later renamed Bedford School after Dr. Nathaniel Bedford, a surgeon at Fort Pitt who donated the land. Its gable roof has wooden Classical pediments at each end, with brick dentils along the pediments and cornice. The building is regarded as the only surviving pre-Civil War school in Pittsburgh. Its interior has kept much of its 1912 layout, when partitions created smaller classrooms and central halls were added. Early classrooms were arranged without a central gathering space, and the building had no plumbing or electricity until 1912. Its two separate stairways and entries are believed to have kept boys and girls apart, reflecting the segregated schooling of the period. The school was closed as an elementary school in 1958 and sold for commercial use in 1960.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is an exceptionally intact example of an early educational facility in Pittsburgh and the only extant pre-Civil War school in the city. Its interior retains 1912-vintage spaces largely intact, and it was built with separate stairways and entries reflecting strict sex segregation in education of the era.
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 86002651, listed September 30, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 910--918 Bingham St., Pittsburgh |
|---|---|
| County | Allegheny County |
| Listed | September 30, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86002651 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1841-1860 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Sold by the Board of Education in 1960 for commercial use; the form describes it as a former school. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.42922, -79.98923 (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 86002651.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4879194
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.