Hood Octagonal School
Why it's listed
Built of stone in 1841 on a rise at the eastern end of Newtown Square, Newtown Township, the Hood Octagonal School is an eight-sided one-room schoolhouse. It replaced an earlier log Hood School on land conveyed by Isaiah Fawkes to the township school directors, under a deed that returned the lot to the adjoining farm if school use ended. The building operated as a common school until about 1865, when the district abandoned it, and it later served as farm storage. The nomination regards it as the only surviving example of the township's seven earliest schoolhouses, which span roughly 1748 to 1865. Its eight-sided plan is cited as a rare surviving example of the octagon mode, a once common form of construction. Restoration in 1964 was carried out under architect Richard A. Yarnall, whose work on the nearby Dunwoody Home is cited as the reason he was commissioned.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is significant under Criterion A for its association with the common school stage of Newtown Township's educational history, and under Criterion C as an excellent example of the octagon mode of construction, which it describes as once popular but now uncommon. It is presented as the only surviving example of the township's earliest schoolhouses. The building was restored in 1964 under the direction of architect Richard A. Yarnall.
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 06000045, listed February 14, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 3500 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square, Newtown Township |
|---|---|
| County | Delaware County |
| Listed | February 14, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000045 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1841-c. 1865 |
| Architect / builder | Yarnall, Richard Ashbridge (1964 restoration) |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century: Octagon Mode |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant after the school district abandoned it around 1865; later used as farm storage, then restored in 1964 and retained as part of the Dunwoody Village property. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.98615, -75.38913 (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 06000045.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5897486
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.