Built in 1891 to the design of renowned architect James W. Naughton, Old Boys High School embodies the late 19th Century Romanesque Revival style. The building features a whimsical and highly expressive language, with rustic stone at the base, finely detailed brick patterns, rustic stone, terra cotta, arched portal entrances and wood windows, gabled roofs, pedimented dormers, and turrets. Carved brownstone was employed for cornices, window columnettes and copings.
Urbahn provided extensive design services for both interior and exterior. The interior upgrades focused on updating spaces to meet current educational standards and complying with lifesafety codes. On the façade we were responsible for the replacement of the +800 idiosyncratic historic windows, parapet repairs, and renovations to the masonry to repair deterioration and halt water infiltration. We also designed the replacement of the building’s many roofs, utilizing synthetic slate shingles and copper to respect the building’s historic character.