SGC-WH-WAS-036 · Research edition September 8, 2026
369 Washington Avenue, at Brown Street, West Haven. Includes the original 1909 building, school community, temporary Molloy accommodation during rebuilding, and the 2025 replacement. An exact first class day in 1909 is not established.
Executive history
Washington School’s history requires a distinction between a school name and a particular building. The 1940 Writers’ Program history records a Washington School erected in 1902 at Washington Avenue and Noble Street, then replaced by a sixteen-room Noble School in 1921. In a separate paragraph it identifies the Washington School at Washington Avenue and Brown Street as a nineteen-room building built in 1909. The same book’s school directory gives 369 Washington Avenue, the address retained by the present school. These are separate sites; the earlier use of the name should not silently become the founding date of the Brown Street institution. [WH-WAS-001]
The 1909 building belonged to an era of expanding local education. The town history describes a new course of study in 1903, enlargements of older schools, and the introduction of kindergartens in 1910. It calls Washington the town’s largest grade school. Its school map and directory allow the reader to place the building within a network that also included Union, Noble, Stiles, and the Main Street high school. These records describe facilities and organization, rather than individual children’s school experiences. [WH-WAS-001]
Later recollections supply some of the missing human perspective. Katherine Held’s memories, published by the West Haven Voice in 2019, recall needing a doctor’s note before returning to her Washington classroom after more than three days of illness. The Historical Society’s online gallery identifies a Washington class photograph as 1929. Its date is useful evidence of the school community, but the gallery does not provide a reusable license or enough publication history to clear the photograph for local reproduction. [WH-WAS-008][WH-WAS-003]
By 2021 officials considered replacement a priority. The old building lacked an elevator, its restrooms were in the basement, and its arrangement constrained accessibility. A district notice records an alumni evening on April 26, 2023, before demolition. During construction the pupils attended the former Anna V. Molloy School on Meloy Road. The original Washington building was demolished in late 2023 and early 2024, according to the local construction account. [WH-WAS-009][WH-WAS-006][WH-WAS-004]
The new Washington School was dedicated on August 19, 2025, and received students on August 27. Its classrooms, resource rooms, media center, playgrounds, and gym represent a new physical setting for an existing school community. Thus 2025 is the replacement building’s opening, not the beginning of the Washington name. The district’s own account and the 1940 history support 1909; an older high-school nomination’s incidental 1905 reference is retained only as a conflicting research lead. [WH-WAS-005][WH-WAS-004][WH-WAS-001]
Key dates
1902 — An earlier Washington School was built at Washington Avenue and Noble Street; this was a different site. WH-WAS-001
1909 — Washington School at Washington Avenue and Brown Street was built. WH-WAS-001
1921 — The earlier Noble Street site was replaced by Noble School. WH-WAS-001
1929 — Date assigned to a Washington class photograph in the Historical Society gallery. WH-WAS-003
2023-04-26 — Alumni returned for a Night to Reminisce before rebuilding. WH-WAS-004
2023–2024 — The old Washington building was demolished; pupils used Molloy School during the project. WH-WAS-009
2025-08-19 — Dedication ceremony for the replacement building. WH-WAS-005
2025-08-27 — First school day in the new building. WH-WAS-005
A closer look at the surviving record
Two Washington sites
The 1940 history places a 1902 Washington School at Noble Street and the 1909 Washington School at Brown Street. Reading the two paragraphs together prevents a name from being mistaken for a single building history.
The Writers’ Project town map places schools among streets, churches, public services, and workplaces. Pair it with the numbered key preserved in the Stiles collection.
Includes source text where acquired. Source websites require an internet connection. OCR may contain errors; verify names and dates against the scan.
9 catalog entries
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WH-WAS-001 · Historical documents · 1940
Washington and Stiles schools in the 1940 town history
Printed page 66 records the two Washington locations and gives the opening month of Stiles School.
Public domain in the United States: repository states that copyright was not renewed, citing the Stanford renewal database. No separate copyright notice appears on the selected plate. Full printed page retained. Scan quality reflects the photocopied source; OCR may contain errors.
History of West Haven, Connecticut (1940)
PDF page 183
Source: https://archive.org/download/historyofwesthav00unse/historyofwesthav00unse.pdf#page=183
HISTORY OF WEST HAVEN
Haley was appointed superintendent, and D. Webster Belcher was named princi¬
pal of the high school.
In 1902, when need for a school was felt in the southern section of the
town, the Washington School, at Washington Avenue and Noble Street, was
erected; it was replaced in 1921 by a 16-room structure, named the Noble School.
Washington School, the largest grade school in West Haven, a 19-room
building, was built at Washington Avenue anil Brown Street, in 1909.
Between 1900-1910, expansion and improvements in the school system were
notable. In 1903, a new course of study was prepared for all schools. The
Brown and Campbell schools were enlarged, and eight rooms added to Union
School; in 1910, kindergartens were established.
The Colonial Park School was erected in 1920, and in 1933 a large addi¬
tion was built with P. W. A. funds. A school committee of seven, appointed
in 1920, was in charge of this school until June 15, 1926. In the following fall,
the town’s three school districts were consolidated.
Aij.tngtown District
Not for several years after the 1926 consolidation of school districts was an¬
other school building necessary in this area.
In 1937, the four-room Lampson School, built in 1897, was demolished.
Its pupils were transferred to the First Avenue School, an eight-room structure
built in 1921. This building, the second brick schoolhouse in Allingtown, had
been preceded by the eight-room Forest Street School, made necessary in 1912
by an influx of families from neighboring communities.
In 1929, a greatly increased population made necessary the building of the
nine-room Lincoln School, which was followed by an eight-room addition to
the Forest Street School, in 1933.
The Edgar C. Stiles School on West Main Street, named in honor of the
school superintendent, opened in September, 1931. Its facilities include a loud
speaker in each class room, connected with a radio in the principal's office. The
institution is a fitting tribute to a man who devoted untiring efforts to the West
Haven school system.
Cost of operating West Haven schools for the fiscal year ending April 30,
1940, was $586,462.08. Of the total amount, $414,965.38 was furnished by
the town from the general tax and $171,496.70 by the district tax.
Schools in use in 1940:
Noble School
Washington School
Union School
Campbell Avenue School
Colonial Park School
Lincoln School
152 Washington Avenue at Noble Street
369 Washington Avenue at Brown Street
176 Center Street at Union Avenue
1204 Campbell Avenue at foot of turnpike
(opportunity)
63 Seaview Avenue at Overlook Avenue
25 Ogden Street—off Fairfax Street
66
Credit: Writers’ Program (U.S.), Connecticut, History of West Haven, Connecticut (Church Press, 1940); Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center / Internet Archive. Cite SGC SGC-WH-WAS-036, WH-WAS-001, source title, page and URL; accessed September 8, 2026.
WH-WAS-002 · Maps & plans · 1940
Map of West Haven, Connecticut, 1940
Original Writers’ Project town map; interpret the numbered landmarks with the companion key in the Stiles collection.
Public domain in the United States: repository states that copyright was not renewed, citing the Stanford renewal database. No separate copyright notice appears on the selected plate. Full printed page retained. Scan quality reflects the photocopied source; OCR may contain errors.
History of West Haven, Connecticut (1940)
PDF page 247
Source: https://archive.org/download/historyofwesthav00unse/historyofwesthav00unse.pdf#page=247
Credit: Writers’ Program (U.S.), Connecticut, History of West Haven, Connecticut (Church Press, 1940); Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center / Internet Archive. Cite SGC SGC-WH-WAS-036, WH-WAS-002, source title, page and URL; accessed September 8, 2026.
WH-WAS-003 · Sources & research leads · 1929
Washington School class photograph, 1929
The Historical Society labels this authentic group photograph Washington School, 1929.
No photographer, original publication record, or reuse license supplied; retain as source link despite the early image date. Direct image: https://whhistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/photo-gallery/imported_from_media_libray/Washington_1929.jpg External source reference; the complete source is not reproduced in this download.
Credit: Original publisher or holding institution, linked at source. Cite SGC SGC-WH-WAS-036, WH-WAS-003, source title, page and URL; accessed September 8, 2026.
WH-WAS-004 · Sources & research leads · 2023-04-28
District account of the 2023 alumni evening
School district dates the original structure to 1909 and documents the Night to Reminisce.
Modern article and photograph: link only. External source reference; the complete source is not reproduced in this download.
Credit: Original publisher or holding institution, linked at source. Cite SGC SGC-WH-WAS-036, WH-WAS-004, source title, page and URL; accessed September 8, 2026.
WH-WAS-005 · Sources & research leads · 2025-09-03
2025 first-day group photograph
Group photograph of students, faculty, and staff at the new school, with dedication and opening dates.
Modern copyrighted news photographs; link only. External source reference; the complete source is not reproduced in this download.
Credit: Original publisher or holding institution, linked at source. Cite SGC SGC-WH-WAS-036, WH-WAS-005, source title, page and URL; accessed September 8, 2026.
WH-WAS-006 · Sources & research leads · 2021-06-16
Original-building replacement proposal
2021 account explains accessibility and site constraints of the 1909 building.
Source link only; no reuse permission established. External source reference; the complete source is not reproduced in this download.
Credit: Original publisher or holding institution, linked at source. Cite SGC SGC-WH-WAS-036, WH-WAS-006, source title, page and URL; accessed September 8, 2026.
WH-WAS-007 · Sources & research leads · Undated
Coverage gaps
A licensed original-building exterior and a cleared class photograph remain missing. The exact 1909 first day and any administrative continuity with the 1902 Washington name need school-board records.
Research note; do not turn the 1902 or incidental 1905 dates into an unqualified opening date. External source reference; the complete source is not reproduced in this download.
Credit: Original publisher or holding institution, linked at source. Cite SGC SGC-WH-WAS-036, WH-WAS-007, source title, page and URL; accessed September 8, 2026.
WH-WAS-008 · Sources & research leads · Source consulted September 2026
Supporting source: westhavenvoice.com
Supporting source for the collection history and chronology.
External source; consult the original publication for its full context.
Credit: Original publisher or holding institution, linked at source. Cite SGC SGC-WH-WAS-036, WH-WAS-008, source title, page and URL; accessed September 8, 2026.
WH-WAS-009 · Sources & research leads · Source consulted September 2026
Supporting source: westhavenvoice.com
Supporting source for the collection history and chronology.
External source; consult the original publication for its full context.
Credit: Original publisher or holding institution, linked at source. Cite SGC SGC-WH-WAS-036, WH-WAS-009, source title, page and URL; accessed September 8, 2026.
