Latimer School
Why it's listed
Latimer School is a massive yellow brick school building of three and one half stories on a stone base, standing on a block in Pittsburgh's Dutchtown neighborhood at Tripoli and James Streets. It was completed in 1898, and its date is carved above the main doorway on Tripoli Street. The building has a shallow hipped roof with dormers, a central open arcaded tower, and rounded arch and rectangular windows with stone lintels and sills. Its interior is laid out as an H-shaped network of wide hallways with classrooms along the perimeter. Frederick C. Sauer, a Pittsburgh architect who trained in Germany and began his own practice in 1884, designed the school. It is regarded as a solid example of 1890s school design, with fenestration that suggests Italianate work and detailing largely drawn from Classical sources. The school was named for Alexander C. Latimer, the last president of the Allegheny City School Board.
Significance in brief: The nomination describes the building as an anchor for its Dutchtown neighborhood and a solid representative of 1890s school building design. Its fenestration and massing give it a lively Italianate character, while much of the detailing is Classically derived. It was designed by Frederick C. Sauer, a prolific Pittsburgh architect, and is listed as part of the Pittsburgh Public Schools thematic group.
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 86002676, listed September 30, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Tripoli and James Sts., Pittsburgh |
|---|---|
| County | Allegheny County |
| Listed | September 30, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86002676 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Frederick C. Sauer (architect) |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The form states the school was closed after a 1974 study found it unsatisfactory for school use, and that the building was purchased in 1984 for conversion to market rate rental units. |
| Acreage | 4 |
| Coordinates | 40.45626, -80.00086 (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 86002676.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6496157
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.