National Register of Historic Places

Putnam High School

Putnam, Windham County, Connecticut
Listed
December 10, 1993
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
93001343

About this property

Putnam Town Hall, formerly Putnam High School, is an historic civic building at 126 Church Street in Putnam, Connecticut. Constructed in 1874, it is one of the oldest surviving high school buildings in the state, and a distinctive local example of Gothic Revival architecture. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. Putnam Town Hall is located across the Quinebaug River from downtown Putnam, on the west side of Church Street between Fenner and Ravine Streets. It is a large 2+1⁄2-story brick structure with a hip roof. The main focal elements of the building are two towers, one being two stories in height at the front left corner, and a three-story tower at the front right, which has an elaborate gabled clock stage (but no clock), above which is a pyramidal roof. Most of the first-floor windows are set in segmented-arch openings, while those on the second floor are mainly rounded. Windows are set in pairs in the towers, and there are horizontal bands of ornamental brickwork, featuring bricks of varying color shades. The interior has undergone significant alterations due to its reuse as municipal offices, but some original trim and decorative features, as well as the basic layout, remain. The town of Putnam voted in 1873 to build a high school. It was completed the following year, and graduated its first class in 1876. The building was used by the town as its high school until 1911, when overcrowding prompted a move to a new facility (now no longer standing). The current high school, located on Woodstock Avenue, was opened in 1955. This building now houses municipal offices, but is one of the oldest surviving high school buildings in the state. It is also a distinctive local example of the Ruskinian Gothic style of architecture. National Register of Historic Places listings in Windham County, Connecticut

Location

126 Church St.
Putnam, Windham County, Connecticut
41.91861, -71.91248

Categories

EDUCATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Cargill Falls Mill (Wilkinson Mill)
Early Republic
0.3 mi
Putnam Railroad Station
Industrial
0.4 mi
Israel Putnam School
Industrial
0.4 mi
Nichols, George Pickering, House
Industrial
2.5 mi
Pomfret Street Historic District
Listed
3 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Nipsachuck (Second)
1676Colonial
9.7 mi
Battle of Nipsachuck
1675Colonial
10.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Putnam High School listed on the National Register?

Putnam High School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 10, 1993.

What type of historic resource is Putnam High School?

Putnam High School is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Putnam High School?

The period of significance for Putnam High School is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Putnam High School?

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