Wightman School
Why it's listed
Brick school at 5604 Solway Street in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood, opened in 1897 as part of the Colfax Sub-district and named for Thomas E. Wightman, a local citizen. Designed by Ulysses J. L. Peoples, it stands three stories on a raised stone basement. Its most distinctive exterior feature is a heavy wood cornice that rises above the third story over the central pavilion and side entries, giving the building a tall central section with lower flanking wings. The interior includes a monumental central stair with cast iron balustrades and newel posts, stained glass transoms, and a third-floor gymnasium and auditorium with an elaborate plaster stage surround. The school was closed in 1980 and sold to a community organization in 1981, and it is now used as a community center. It was listed for its architecture and its association with Peoples' school designs in Pittsburgh.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the school as a representative work of Ulysses J. L. Peoples, a Pittsburgh school architect, and notes its distinctive rising-and-falling cornice that gives the impression of a tall central section with lower wings. Its interior features, including a monumental central stair, cast iron balustrades and an elaborate plaster stage surround in the third-floor gymnasium/auditorium, are described as typical of Peoples' work. The school was listed as part of a thematic group of Pittsburgh Public Schools.
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 86002717, listed September 30, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5604 Solway St., Pittsburgh |
|---|---|
| County | Allegheny County |
| Listed | September 30, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86002717 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1881-1900 |
| Architect / builder | U.J.L. Peoples |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival; Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed in 1980 and sold to a community organization in 1981; now used as a community center. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 40.44262, -79.92678 (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 86002717.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6673699
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.