Hill's Academy
Architecture
The academy building occupies a prominent location overlooking Essex's Main Street area, facing east on the west side of Prospect Street just south of the Congregational and Baptist churches. It is a two-story brick building, with a gabled roof capped by a squat single-stage belfry. The front facade is three bays wide, articulated by brick pilasters painted white, which rise to an entablature and fully pedimented gable. Pilasters are also found at the corners of the wood-framed belfry, which has rectangular louvered openings. The main entrance is in the central bay, while the flanking bays are blank. The interior has an entrance vestibule, from which narrow stairs wind to the second floor on the right. Each floor has a single large chamber, which functioned as classrooms during the building's academy phase. Original finishes include wood flooring and staircase trim.
History
The academy was founded in 1831 through the efforts of John Hill, a local businessman, and this building was completed the following year. It was one of the first secondary schools in southern Connecticut, providing the equivalent of a junior high school education to students from as far away as the states in the American South. By 1892, the town had an established public high school, and the academy was dissolved in 1902, its building turned over to the town.
See also
- Pratt House (Essex, Connecticut), also owned by Essex Historical Society and NRHP-listed
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, Connecticut
- List of Improved Order of Red Men buildings and structures
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Gail Gene Nettles (October 30, 1984). "NRHP Inventory-Nomination: Hill's Academy / Essex Historical Society, Inc". National Park Service. Retrieved May 2, 2024. and Accompanying seven photos, exterior and interior, from 1984