Rogers School (1885)
100 Pleasant Street
This former elementary school building was the first gift of Henry H. Rogers to the Town of Fairhaven. Built at a time when greater interest in education was sweeping the country, the school, designed by architect Warren Briggs, incorporated the best features in schoolhouse design, including a spacious auditorium on the third floor. Originally the building had living quarters for the custodian, assuring security and the uninterrupted operation of the furnace on cold winter nights.
When the building’s exterior brick began to discolor just five years after the school’s construction, Rogers had all the brick removed and replaced. Fairhaven did not have electric service when the school was built. It was wired for lights in 1890. With an addition built in the 1950s and two portable classrooms added to the rear, the building was used as an elementary school for 128 years, until June 2013.
The town is currently exploring potential future uses for the building. In August 2016, the bell was removed from the school’s tower to be stored for safekeeping.
