South School (Torrington, Connecticut)

The South School is a historic school building at 362 South Main Street in Torrington, Connecticut. It is a Beaux Arts architecture building, designed by Wilson Potter and completed in 1915. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.[1] It is significant as a well-preserved example of the work of Potter, a New York City-based designer of schools throughout the Northeastern United States, and as a prototype for other schools built in Torrington.[2] The building has been renovated for use as residential apartments. In 2010, a sign describes it as "South School Garden View Apartments".

South School
Location362 S. Main St., Torrington, Connecticut
Coordinates41°47′36″N 73°7′17″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1915
ArchitectPotter, Wilson
Architectural styleBeaux Arts
NRHP reference No.86000522[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 27, 1986

Description and history

The South School is located in a mixed residential-commercial area south of downtown Torrington, at the southwest corner of South Main Street and Brooker Street. It is a large two-story brick building, with a flat roof, granite foundation, and terra cotta trim. The basement is elevated, with a stringcourse of trim separating it from the main levels. The main facade is broadly divided into three sections, with a central section with bands of sash windows flanked by a slightly projecting end sections with blank walls adorned by patterned brick and trim. The corners of the end sections have brick quoining, and the building is topped by a low parapet with wide stepped crenellations highlighted by a terra cotta border. The main entrance is set at the center of the basement level, in a richly decorated segmented-arch surround.[2]

The school was built in 1915 to a design by Wilson Potter, a prominent New York City architect known for his school designs; Potter was also credited with the design of the 1914 Torrington High School, now much altered and no longer the high school. This building was the first large-scale elementary school for the city, and served as a prototype for schools it built through the 1930s. The building was used as a school until 1981.[2]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Jack A. Gold and John Herzan (June 1985). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: South School". National Park Service. and Accompanying 7 photos, from 1984
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