Oliver, David P., High School
Why it's listed
Built in 1924 and extended in 1928, Oliver High School occupies a fourteen-acre site on Brighton Road and Island Avenue in Pittsburgh's upper North Side. Its classroom wings are two stories above a raised basement, with pilasters dividing the window bays and a central entry surround of stepped-up Art Deco massing. Auditorium and gymnasium wings project outward at each end, giving the facade the arc-like shape that defines the building. Carved stone panels of beasts and faces provide some ornament, and the library is lit by a tall front window wall with octagonal stained glass skylights. The school was designed by James T. Steen & Sons and is regarded as one of the earliest Pittsburgh schools to use balanced auditorium and gymnasium wings, a feature later common in Art Deco school designs. It was named for David B. Oliver, first president of the Pittsburgh Board of Public Education.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is important in Pittsburgh public school architecture as one of the first prototypical Art Deco schools, and an early trend-setting example of Art Deco design among Pittsburgh public schools. Its differentiated and balanced auditorium and gymnasium wings are presented as an early instance of a feature later used in Steen's Art Deco schools. It is also associated with education in Pittsburgh, as it was named for David B. Oliver, first president of the Pittsburgh Board of Public 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 86002698, listed February 3, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Brighton Rd. and Island Ave., Pittsburgh |
|---|---|
| County | Allegheny County |
| Listed | February 3, 1987 |
| Reference number | 86002698 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1921-1940 |
| Architect / builder | James T. Steen & Sons (architects/builders) |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Good condition; integrity rated fair; an addition with a fieldhouse and lighted field was built after World War II and major additions were under construction at the time of the survey. |
| Acreage | 14 |
| Coordinates | 40.46399, -80.02539 (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 86002698.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7087598
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.