Waltham High School

Waltham High School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The old building, now the John W. McDevitt Middle School
Location	55 School Street., Waltham, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°22′44″N 71°14′3″W / 42.37889°N 71.23417°W / 42.37889; -71.23417
Area	less than one acre
Built	1902
Architectural style	Classical Revival, Romanesque
MPS	Waltham MRA
NRHP Reference #	89001531
Added to NRHP	September 28, 1989

Waltham High School is the only public high school serving the city of Waltham, Massachusetts.

Coordinates: 42°22′43″N 71°13′59″W / 42.3785°N 71.2329339°W / 42.3785; -71.2329339

The old Waltham High School (located at 55 School Street) was originally constructed in 1902. Designed by Samuel Patch and Robert Glancey, it follows the local contemporary style of Romanesque and Classical Revival architecture. Added onto in the 1920s, the building eventually fell out of favor and was replaced with the current Waltham High site in 1969. It was used as the Central Junior High School in the 1970s and 1980s. The old Waltham High became defunct by the 1990s and sat empty for many years. The building was ultimately reinhabited; the additions constructed in the 1920s were removed, restoring the school to its 1902 appearance, and a modern addition was added directly behind the old building, which left the historical structure as the façade. The new construct, known now as John W. McDevitt Middle School (named for a former superintendent), entered service in 2003.

The old Waltham High building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

The current Waltham High School facility opened in 1969. It is designed in two long rows of rooms connected by several transverse hallways. The west side is the Fine Arts wing and includes the Robinson Auditorium, home of Waltham's Reagle Players. There are two outdoor courtyards built into the design. The school department's offices and school administration occupy the center of the first floor. Two gymnasiums and the cafeteria dominate the east side of the building. A detached Automotive Technology annex faces the visual arts hallway.The high school now has a school store called "Hawk's Nest" where the students can buy sports apparel with Hawk's logo on it. The school also has a Television studio. The television channel is called WE-TV (Waltham Educational Television)