Manor Street Elementary School
Also known as: Manor Street School
Why it's listed
Built in 1895 on a corner lot atop a knoll on the east side of Columbia, this two-story brick school has a central block flanked by two wings, a hipped roof, and a frame bell tower over the south entrance. Its Colonial Revival features include pediments, a fanlight doorway, symmetrical double-hung windows, and a terra-cotta date stone reading AD 1895. The school was erected to serve children on the east side of the borough during a period when Columbia moved from one central school back to neighborhood schools. Of the five neighborhood grade schools built in that era, it is one of only three that survive, and its massing and detailing are regarded as distinctive among the borough's surviving school buildings. Its interior retains a central corridor, classrooms with wainscoting and slate chalkboards, and fluted wood trim. Later changes include a toilet room addition from the 1930s-1940s and replacement of the original central stair about 1960.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school represents Columbia Borough's late nineteenth and early twentieth century shift from a centralized school system back to decentralized neighborhood schools, and that its Colonial Revival architecture is distinctive among surviving school buildings in Columbia. It is one of three surviving neighborhood schools from that period.
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 87000572, listed April 2, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Tenth and Manor Sts., Columbia |
|---|---|
| County | Lancaster County |
| Listed | April 2, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87000572 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1895 |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is rated fair; first floor windows and doors are boarded up on the exterior and some second floor windows are boarded on the interior, with water damage to the northern classrooms. |
| Acreage | 1.4 |
| Coordinates | 40.02767, -76.48945 (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 87000572.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6751385
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.