Hitchcock Free Academy - Brimfield MA - Victorian Style Architecture on Waymarking.com

The Hitchcock Free Academy, 2 Brookfield Road 1855 (MHC# 2) is a fine example of the Italianate style and the main block is documented as the design of architect Elias Carter. It is a 2½ story, front-gable building with an added transverse gable wing of 1871 centered on its south façade for a T-shaped plan. At the time of its construction the main block of the school was three bays wide and four bays deep and had a center entry beneath a console-supported hood.

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The Hitchcock Free Academy, known at first as the Brimfield Free Grammar School, was founded in 1855 by Samuel Austin Hitchcock who lived at 15 Wales Road. In 1855 forty-seven students between the ages of 13 and 17 were admitted to the Academy. They came from surrounding towns and were boarded in homes around town during the week, going home on the weekends. From the beginning they were transported by stages, but in 1907 the streetcar was in service and carried many students. In 1894 the academy bought the house at 11 Warren Road to serve as a dormitory for students who had long distances to travel. The dormitory was closed within a few years, however. In 1877 the school hit hard financial times and almost closed. The town school committee took over leadership of the school in 1914. In 1952 the town voted a regional high school be accepted and the Hitchcock Academy was no longer needed, so it became an educational, cultural and recreational center for Brimfield. In 1955 it stopped operating as a school building at age 100.

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Public/Private: Private Tours Available?: Don't Know Year Built: 1855 Web Address: [Web Link]

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