Kirk Street School

1881

Building History

Originally built by the City of Lowell in 1881 as the Kirk Street Primary School, the building was designed by local architect George Abbott in a Chateauesque style with its steep roofs, verticality, and varied massing.  The unusual Victorian design most closely resembles London board schools of the 1880s and 1890s.  The building was used for a time to house the overflow of high school students from across the street before the high school addition was completed in 1922.

Given to the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) by the City in 1945, the organization assisted Greek immigrants trying to establish themselves permanently in American society.  After serving as a public school, the building went on to serve Lowell’s Greek community, once the third largest in the United States behind New York and Chicago.

Preservation and Reuse

The building was acquired by the Lowell Five Cent Savings Bank in the late 1980s that proceeded to undertake a complete exterior restoration while rehabilitating the interior for use as bank offices.

Today the building houses the corporate offices of Madison Security Group.