Noble, J. L. School
Why it's listed
Built in 1912 on a hilltop overlooking the Juniata neighborhood of Altoona, the two-story brick school has a yellow tapestry brick face, cut brownstone trim and a rock-faced sandstone foundation. It was built by the Juniata Borough School Board to ease overcrowding in older schools and held eight classrooms. A four-room annex was added in 1929, after Juniata was annexed to Altoona, giving the building its rectangular plan. The front has a central pavilion with a neo-Palladian triple window beneath a Diocletian window and a brownstone-framed entrance. The interior partitions were largely removed for a planned reuse, though original stairwells with cast iron handrails survive. The building is regarded as a local example of early twentieth-century institutional design and as a record of the schooling provided to Juniata's working families.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is significant for its role in the history of education in the Altoona area, as a neighborhood school built to relieve overcrowding and as the last school the Juniata board built before annexation. It is also argued to be a locally significant example of an early twentieth-century institutional building in the Renaissance Revival style.
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 96000712, listed July 11, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 209 12th Ave., Juniata, Altoona |
|---|---|
| County | Blair County |
| Listed | July 11, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000712 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1912-1946 |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Not used as a school since the 1970s; held in private ownership and standing vacant. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.53791, -78.39268 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 96000712.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6104195
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.