Pearl Street School

Reading, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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Built in 1939 on the site of Reading's former poor farm, Pearl Street School is a two-story brick and limestone structure designed by local architect George H. Sidebottom and the only building in Reading constructed through a Public Works Administration project. The stylistically eclectic design blends Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, and Art Deco elements: Colonial features include the brick and limestone walls with wooden trim, modillion-decorated cornice, and 12-over-12 double-hung windows, while Classical Revival appears in the projecting end pavilions, and Art Deco in the decorative window surrounds and pilastered entryways on those pavilions. The building's U-shaped plan features irregular legs—a rectangular ell on the right and an irregular polygonal form on the left—and originally contained fifteen classrooms, making it Reading's first fire-resistant school and allowing it to replace three smaller wooden schoolhouses. It served as an elementary school until 1984, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997; it now operates as an assisted living residence.