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The old Acton High School, also known as the McCarthy-Towne Elementary School, is a historic school building at 3 Charter Road in
Acton, Massachusetts Acton is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, approximately west-northwest of Boston along Massachusetts Route 2 west of Concord and about southwest of Lowell. The population was 24,021 in April 2020, according to the Unite ...
. Built in 1925, this Renaissance Revival building served as the town's high school for 30 years, and then as an elementary school for 45. It was the town's first purpose-built high school. The building was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 2011.


Description and history

The former Acton High School is set at the northeast corner of Charter Road and Massachusetts Avenue (
Massachusetts Route 111 Route 111 is a state highway in Massachusetts, a continuation of New Hampshire Route 111. The route has a north–south component and an east–west one, though it is signed exclusively as a north–south route on newer signs. The east–west p ...
) near the geographic center of the town, and adjacent to a number of its other school buildings. It is a two-story brick building in a U shape, with Renaissance Revival styling. Its south-facing front facade has a stepped parapet, obscuring a flat roof. Its central block is fifteen bays wide, with two projecting entry pavilions. The entrances are framed by simple molding and topped by segmented-arch pediments, with narrow windows in the pavilion above. Bands of limestone trim separate the first and second stories, and the second story and the cornice. The building corners are quoined with limestone blocks. The building was designed by Boston architect/engineer John H. Bickford, and built in 1925. It was the town's first purpose-built high school building, its previous high school classes (begun in 1883) having been rotated through other school buildings in the system. The building served in that capacity for thirty years. It then served another 45 years as an elementary school, during which time a substantial addition was made to bring the building to its present configuration. The school was finally closing in 2000. It has been converted to residences.


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, Massachusetts This is a listing of places in Middlesex County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts that are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. With more than 1,300 listings, the county has more listings than any other county in the United Stat ...


References


External links

{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Former school buildings in the United States School buildings completed in 1925 School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Acton, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Middlesex County, Massachusetts 1925 establishments in Massachusetts