Peirce School 88 Chestnut Street, corner of Austin Street, West Newton, Massachusetts

West Newton, Massachusetts

West Newton is a village of the City of Newton, Massachusetts and is one of the oldest of the thirteen Newton villages. The postal code 02465 roughly matches the village limits.-Location:...

, was built in 1895 and operated by the City of Newton Public Schools

Newton Public Schools

Newton Public Schools is a school district in Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.A..- Schools :The Newton Public Schools are organized in an Elementary School K-5, Middle School 6-8, and High School 9-12 arrangement with a projected enrollment of 11,237 students for FY06.- Primary schools :*Angier...

 as an elementary school from 1895 until June, 1951. It originally served grades one through eight, but at the time of its closing, it was a kindergarten through sixth grade (K-6) school. It was listed December 6, 1979, in the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

.

Origin of name

Peirce School, (originally pronounced as if it were spelled "Purse" but now usually pronounced as if it were spelled "Pierce"), was named for Cyrus Peirce

Cyrus Peirce

Cyrus Peirce , American educator and Unitarian minister, was the founding president of the first American public normal school, which evolved into Framingham State University.-Early life:...

, (1790–1860), a Unitarian

Unitarianism

Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....

 minister and educator, who was the first principal (or president) of the first Normal School

Normal school

A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...

 opened in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in Lexington

Lexington, Massachusetts

Lexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,399 at the 2010 census. This town is famous for being the site of the first shot of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775.- History :...

 and served as such from 1839 until 1842 when he retired because of poor health. In 1844 the Normal School was moved to West Newton and located on Washington Street on the site now occupied by the First Unitarian Society in Newton

First Unitarian Society in Newton

The First Unitarian Society in Newton is located at 1326 Washington Street in the village of West Newton in Newton, Massachusetts. Its building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the First Unitarian Church, Newton...

, which is also on the National Register. Peirce moved to Newton that year and resumed his leadership of the school and served until 1849, when he again retired because of ill health. Peirce lived the rest of his life in West Newton. The Normal School he headed is now Framingham State College

Framingham State College

Framingham State University is located in Framingham, Massachusetts, from Boston. It offers undergraduate programs in a range of subjects from Art to Biology to Communication Arts, and graduate programs including MBA, MEd, and MSc...

, in Framingham

Framingham, Massachusetts

Framingham is a New England town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 68,318 as of the United States 2010 Census. -History:...

, which considers him as its first president.

Description of building

The Peirce School building was designed by Stickney & Austin, architects, in the style described as Colonial Revival, although today it might be described as Late 19th Century Public School. The exterior was built of granite, brick and sandstone with a slate roof. Although it is numbered 88 Chestnut Street, the building actually faces on Austin Street. The imposing entrance facing Austin Street was largely ceremonial and served as the place for taking class pictures. The plainer entrances at either end of the building were the ones used for ingress and egress.

Present use

The City of Newton assessment rolls show the building as vacant, but recent aerial photos show a paved parking lot with cars parked in it on the south side of the building. The building is called Peirce House and offers subsidized housing for seniors and disabled people.

New Peirce School

A new, more modern Peirce School was built at 170 Temple Street, corner of Berkeley Street in West Newton and opened in September, 1951 to replace the old Peirce School. Ann L. Caldwell, last principal of the old school, continued as principal of the new school. The new Peirce School is still in operation as a K-5 school.

External links

• Newton Public Schools website