Misplaced Pages

This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Chelsea Grammar School" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2012)

Chelsea Grammar School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
East (front) elevation and north profile, 2008
Location	Chelsea, NY
Nearest city	Beacon
Coordinates	41°33′08″N 73°58′03″W / 41.55222°N 73.96750°W / 41.55222; -73.96750
Built	1875
Architectural style	Gothic Revival
MPS	Chelsea MRA
NRHP reference No.	87001371
Added to NRHP	1987

The former Chelsea Grammar School is located on Liberty Street in Chelsea, New York, United States. It is an intact one-room schoolhouse from the late 19th century, when the hamlet was a thriving Hudson River port.

In 1987 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places since it has remained largely intact since its construction. Its use as a school ended in the mid-20th century when the smaller local school districts of the area were consolidated into the Wappingers Central School District. Since then, the local fire department has used half of it as a community center, and the United States Postal Service has leased the other half for use as the local post office, serving the 12512 ZIP Code.

Building

The building, a one-story rectangular brick building with a gabled roof covered in asphalt shingles, was constructed in 1875. It is pierced at the east (front) end by a square frame bell tower with paired arched louvered vents on all four sides. The roof overhangs the walls with a broad fascia; there is no other attempt at ornament.

On the front facade, the entranceway's segmented and hooded openings are flanked by two windows with arched heads and corbeled brick hoods. A marble datestone with "1875" on it is set into the gable side above the entrance, and a louvered oculus is near the apex.

Both sides have four tall and narrow window openings, now filled with louvers. All are topped with a corbeled and segmented brick lintel and have a stone sill beneath. There are two similar windows in the rear, as well as a newer one, and an enclosed entranceway.

Inside, it retains many of its classroom features, including the blackboards. It has been partitioned since then for its use as a post office.

History

An 1858 map of the Chelsea area shows an earlier school on the same site. When the new one was built, the Gothic Revival style echoed the steeply-pitched roofs of neighboring St. Mark's Episcopal Church, built in the mid-1860s in the same style. The placement of the two buildings, on a rise in the middle of the community overlooking the river that was its commercial lifeblood, reflected their importance within Chelsea.

A few changes have been made since its construction, most since its use as a school ended. The original front doors have been replaced with metallic fire doors. A window has been added to the rear along with an enclosed entryway and a shed built in the rear. When the post office came in, the side windows were louvered shut.

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. ^ Larson, Neil (May 1987). "National Register of Historic Places nomination, Chelsea Grammar School". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
3. Smith, James Hadden. History of Dutchess County, D.Mason & Son, Syracuse, 1882

v t e U.S. National Register of Historic Places in New York
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	Albany Allegany Bronx Broome Cattaraugus Cayuga Chautauqua Chemung Chenango Clinton Columbia Cortland Delaware Dutchess Erie Essex Franklin Fulton Genesee Greene Hamilton Herkimer Jefferson Kings (Brooklyn) Lewis Livingston Madison Monroe Montgomery Nassau New York (Manhattan) Niagara Oneida Onondaga Ontario Orange Orleans Oswego Otsego Putnam Queens Rensselaer Richmond (Staten Island) Rockland Saratoga Schenectady Schoharie Schuyler Seneca St. Lawrence Steuben Suffolk Sullivan Tioga Tompkins Ulster Warren Washington Wayne Westchester Northern Southern Wyoming Yates
Lists by city	Albany Buffalo New Rochelle New York City Bronx Brooklyn Queens Staten Island Manhattan Below 14th St. 14th–59th St. 59th–110th St. Above 110th St. Minor islands Niagara Falls Peekskill Poughkeepsie Rhinebeck Rochester Syracuse Yonkers
Other lists	Bridges and tunnels National Historic Landmarks New York City Outside New York City
Category List National Register of Historic Places Portal

• Former school buildings in the United States
• Post office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)
• School buildings completed in 1875
• National Register of Historic Places in Dutchess County, New York
• Defunct schools in New York (state)
• Buildings and structures in Dutchess County, New York