South Main Street School

The South Main Street School (later Acushnet Avenue School) in Springfield is a well-preserved late 19th-century schoolhouse in the Renaissance Revival style, built 1895-1897 and designed by important local architect Francis R. Richmond. The symmetrical two-story brick building has a central pedimented entrance pavilion flanked by five-bay classroom wings, with classical brick and terra-cotta ornament including a nine-bay second-story arcade and medallions said to portray Benjamin Franklin; the frieze above the central doorway is embossed 1895. It reflects Springfield's rapid growth in the late 19th century, when the South End became a dense immigrant neighborhood needing new schools. It is significant under National Register Criteria A and C at the local level as one of the finest remaining 19th-century schoolhouses in the city and a major work of Richmond's later career.

South Main Street School is a landmark in Springfield, Hampden County. It is one of 3,654 landmarks documented in Hampden County, among 3,815 historic sites cataloged across the county on MassRoam.

The site sits at 42.0919, -72.5792 near Springfield. The nearest cataloged historic site is Gagnier and Angers Block (landmark), about 0.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include Gagnier and Angers Block, Merriam House, and Birnie, Thomas V. House.

This record is drawn from public historical records. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.