Misplaced Pages

B.M.C. Durfee High School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Show map of MassachusettsShow map of the United States
Location	Fall River, Massachusetts
Coordinates	41°42′20″N 71°9′8″W / 41.70556°N 71.15222°W / 41.70556; -71.15222
Built	1886
Architect	George A. Clough; Norcross Bros.
Architectural style	Renaissance
Part of	Highlands Historic District (ID83000677)
NRHP reference No.	81000109
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	June 11, 1981
Designated CP	February 16, 1983

B.M.C. Durfee High School is an historic former high school building at 289 Rock Street in Fall River, Massachusetts. The school was built in 1886 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. In 1978, it was replaced by the current B.M.C. Durfee High School building. The old building was restored in the early 1990s and is now operated as a probate and family courthouse by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Historical background

The building was built as a donation from Mrs. Mary B. Young to the people of the city of Fall River, in memory of her son Bradford Matthew Chaloner Durfee, who had died at a young age in 1872, leaving a sizable inheritance.

George A. Clough, a Boston architect was chosen to design the building. Ground was broken in August 1883. The first story of the school is constructed of native Fall River Granite, while the stone of the upper portions is from Mason, New Hampshire. The new high school was formally dedicated to the city on June 15, 1887.

The building occupies a commanding position atop a hill in the city's Highlands neighborhood, and is visible from miles around. Even today, the school's sports teams are known as the "Durfee Hilltoppers".

Recent history

In 1978, the city opened a new, much larger high school in the north end, also named "B.M.C. Durfee High School". The old high school remained vacant until the early 1990s when it was taken over by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, for use as a Probate Court House. The restoration was completed in the mid-1990s. The Southeast branch of the Massachusetts Housing Court is located in the building as well.

Telescope

The building features a rare 4-foot telescope with an 8-inch lens, built by the Warner & Swasey Company in 1887. The observatory sat idle for decades, until volunteers began work restoring the telescope and clock mechanism in 2009. The telescope opened for public viewing for select nights in 2015.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Fall River, Massachusetts
• Highlands Historic District (Fall River, Massachusetts)
• B.M.C. Durfee High School (present)

External links

• 1889 Dedication Brochure for the B.M.C. Durfee High School Building, includes full remarks of the dedication ceremony, building floor plans, and more.

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
2. Article on Donation of School
3. Commemorative Book on BMC Durfee High School
4. ^ Gagne, Michael (April 29, 2015). "Durfee hosting public viewings with restored telescope". Fall River, Massachusetts: Herald News. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2017.

v t e Fall River, Massachusetts
History	American Printing Company Battle of Freetown B.M.C. Durfee High School 1886 building Bradford Durfee Textile School/Bradford Durfee College of Technology Corky Row Historic District Downtown Fall River Historic District Fall River Railroad Fall River Iron Works Fall River Line Great Fall River fire of 1928 Highlands Historic District Lower Highlands Historic District Historic Places Oak Grove Cemetery Pocasset Manufacturing Company Slade's Ferry Bridge The Skeleton in Armor Truesdale Hospital USS Fall River (CA-131) Watuppa Branch
Geography	Fall River granite Freetown-Fall River State Forest Mount Hope Bay Quequechan River Taunton River Watuppa Ponds
People	Mariano S. Bishop Lizzie Borden Nathaniel B. Borden Richard Borden M. C. D. Borden Charlie Buffinton James Buffington Robert Correia Jasiel Correia John W. Cummings Orin Fowler Chris Herren Emeril Lagasse List of mayors of Fall River, Massachusetts Humberto Sousa Cardinal Medeiros Joe Raposo Jerry Remy Melvin Zais
Places	Academy Building Al Mac's Diner-Restaurant Battleship Cove Braga Bridge Copicut Woods Fall River Government Center Fall River Heritage State Park Interstate 195 (Rhode Island-Massachusetts) Marine Museum at Fall River List of mills Durfee Mills Flint Mills King Philip Mills New Harbour Mall Old Colony & Fall River Railroad Museum Quequechan Club Route 24 St. Joseph's Orphanage
Media	The Herald News WHTB WSAR
Education	Fall River Public Schools B.M.C. Durfee HS Diman Regional Vocational Technical HS Bristol Community College Closed Bishop Connolly HS Notre Dame School
Religion	Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River St. Anne's Church and Parish Complex Notre Dame de Lourdes Church St. Patrick's Church

v t e U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Topics	Contributing property Keeper of the Register Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Property types
Lists by county	Barnstable Berkshire Bristol Dukes Essex Franklin Hampden Hampshire Middlesex Nantucket Norfolk Plymouth Suffolk Worcester (northern)
Lists by city	Barnstable County Barnstable Harwich Bristol County Fall River New Bedford Taunton Essex County Andover Gloucester Ipswich Lawrence Lynn Methuen Salem Hampden County Springfield Middlesex County Arlington Cambridge Concord Framingham Lexington Lowell Marlborough Medford Newton Reading Sherborn Somerville Stoneham Wakefield Waltham Weston Winchester Norfolk County Brookline Milton Quincy Suffolk County Boston northern southern Worcester County Southbridge Uxbridge Worcester eastern northwestern southwestern
Other lists	Bridges Cape Cod National Seashore National Historic Landmarks Boston
Category National Register of Historic Places portal United States portal

• School buildings completed in 1886
• Buildings and structures in Fall River, Massachusetts
• School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
• George A. Clough buildings
• High schools in Bristol County, Massachusetts
• National Register of Historic Places in Fall River, Massachusetts
• Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts