Durfee, B.M.C., High School
About this property
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. 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". 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. 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. National Register of Historic Places listings in Fall River, Massachusetts Highlands Historic District (Fall River, Massachusetts) 1889 Dedication Brochure for the B.M.C. Durfee High School Building, includes full remarks of the dedication ceremony, building floor plans, and more.
Location
Categories
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.
Everything a full report reveals about Durfee, B.M.C., High School
This page lists Durfee, B.M.C., High School. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Nearby Battles
Questions about this property
When was Durfee, B.M.C., High School listed on the National Register?
Durfee, B.M.C., High School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 10, 1981.
What type of historic resource is Durfee, B.M.C., High School?
Durfee, B.M.C., High School is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Durfee, B.M.C., High School?
The period of significance for Durfee, B.M.C., High School is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Durfee, B.M.C., High School?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Durfee, B.M.C., High School will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Bristol County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Bristol County.
Explore BristolCounty ›More historic places in Massachusetts
Browse all historic places in Massachusetts.
View Massachusettshistoric sites ›Massachusetts history
Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.
Massachusettshistory ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Durfee, B.M.C., High School will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.