Colfax Elementary School
Why it's listed
Built in 1911 on a terrace above a curve in Beechwood Boulevard in Pittsburgh, Colfax Elementary School is a red brick building of Flemish bond with stone trim, a stone belt course, and tile-covered gabled roofs. Its centre section rises a full storey above the rest of the building, forming a projecting entrance tower with battlements and an elliptically arched entry. Inside, the halls have marble baseboards and concave cornices, and the kindergarten room features a polygonal bay with five stained glass windows. The school is one of the few Pittsburgh buildings by architect Edward Stotz designed for elementary pupils, and he also designed several major high schools in the city. The nomination treats it as a transitional work between his early compact school designs and the later Schenley High School. It was named for Schuyler Colfax, Vice President under Ulysses S. Grant. A teacher training function is recorded for a few years after opening.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is significant for its Jacobean Revival design and for its association with architect Edward Stotz, whose work it is described as being the only elementary school example of in Pittsburgh. It is also presented as a transitional design between Stotz's earlier school designs and Schenley High School. The areas of significance named are architecture and education.
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 86002660, listed September 30, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Beechwood Blvd. and Phillips Ave., Pittsburgh |
|---|---|
| County | Allegheny County |
| Listed | September 30, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86002660 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1901-1920 |
| Architect / builder | Edward Stotz (architect) |
| Architectural style | Jacobean Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Good condition with good integrity, as stated on the survey form. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Within district | Frick Park |
| Coordinates | 40.43297, -79.91538 (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 86002660.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5144742
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.