Nicholson School - Baton Rouge, LA
N 30° 27.167 W 091° 10.650
15R E 674986 N 3370369
Also known as the Nicholson Elementary School. Beaux Arts c. 1922 school building, almost takes up a city block!
Waymark Code: WM5ZK8
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 03/07/2009
Views: 1
Located in downtown Baton Rouge, LA. Nicholson School is located in a higher crime rate area of Baton Rouge, so be cautious and Waymark wisely. Well kept location and still used. Building appeared to be in fine condition and grounds were maintained, as one would expect with a school. Not much information found, so a brief Historical note taken from the Register application, located hereThe Nicholson School is locally significant in the area of architecture as one of a limited
number of major examples illustrating the Beaux Arts/Neo-Classical taste in Baton Rouge.
Although the official founding date of the community is recognized as 1719, Baton Rouge
has retained only a relatively small number of historic commercial and institutional buildings with
their integrity intact. Those which remain are generally found in one of three locations--the Central
Business District, the Louisiana State University Campus, and older residential neighborhoods which
stand near downtown. The low survival rate is due largely to the fact that the city remained
prosperous after the Depression and into the 1950s and 1960s. As a result, the community's older
commercial and institutional buildings suffered considerable alteration and demolition.
Although there are various buildings in Baton Rouge which display the Beaux Arts and
Neo-Classical tastes (chiefly the latter), most examples are low-key, featuring only sparingly applied
details such as pilasters used for accent. Less than ten are fully articulated examples of these
classical styles. This number is verified by a survey of downtown Baton Rouge and the National
Register staff's familiarity with the rest of the city. Nicholson is one of these Beaux
Arts/Neo-Classical landmarks. Though not the largest or grandest, it has the most elaborate
detailing, featuring a number of classical motifs. This can be seen in the school's finely executed
central pavilion, which exhibits engaged colossal columns; reeded pilasters; a full entablature; a
stepped parapet; an ornamental fan form composed of elongated leaves and bell flowers; and
examples of bead and reel, egg and dart, and Vitruvian scroll molding. These features make
Nicholson School an important example of the Beaux Arts/Neo-Classical taste within the City of
Baton Rouge Historical Note
Nicholson School is named for Louisiana educator James William Nicholson. Nicholson
moved as an infant with his family from Alabama to Claiborne Parish, Louisiana in 1844. Extremely
intelligent, he entered college at age fourteen but left two years later to join the Confederate Army. After the war he completed his training and was awarded a Master's degree from Homer College in
1867. Ten years later he was elected chairman of the mathematics department at Louisiana State
University, which he also served twice as president (1883-1884 and 1887-1896). After his second
term as university president, he resumed chairmanship of the mathematics department. Nicholson
died in 1917.
Street address: 1143 North St Baton Rouge, LA USA 70801
County / Borough / Parish: East Baton Rouge
Year listed: 1995
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1900-1924
Historic function: Education. Sub - School
Current function: Education. Sub - School
Privately owned?: no
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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