Rochester City School No. 24

Rochester City School No. 24, also known as School #24 and Ellwanger and Barry School, is a historic school building located at Rochester in Monroe County, New York. It was constructed in 1913 and is a one-story, Spanish Colonial Revival style building. The walls are constructed of hollow tile sheathed with brick and plaster and the hipped roof is covered in red Spanish tile.[2]

Rochester City School #24
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	Meigs St., Rochester, New York
Coordinates	43°8′10″N 77°36′5″W
Area	1.8 acres (0.73 ha)
Built	1913
Architect	Gordon, Edwin S.
Architectural style	Mission/Spanish Revival
NRHP reference No.	83001709[1]
Added to NRHP	September 15, 1983

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[1]

The building replaced an earlier structure, which sat across the Meigs Street – Linden Street intersection from the current building, on land donated by local nurserymen George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry.[3] The original Ellwanger and Barry School was built in 1877 and expanded in 1888 and 1890, but it was replaced by the new school building in 1913.[3]

The new school building boasted a number of modern amenities, along with a diverse set of curricular and extra-curricular activities.[3] In particular, the building focused on student safety, becoming one of the first schools in the country to design each classroom with an external entrance.[3] This inspired its early nickname, "The Safety First School",[3] and inspired planners from across the country to incorporate similar design principles.[3]

The school's enrollment declined in the 1970s from a peak of more than 600 students.[3] The 1978–79 school year was the building's last as a school,[3] and in 1980 the building (making use of the many external doors) was converted to condominiums.

Students exercise outside the school in 1921.