Deveaux School Historic District is a national

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

located at

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...

Niagara County, New York Niagara County is in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 212,666. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word ''Onguiaahra''; meaning ''the strait'' or ''thunder of ...

Beginnings

The property was deeded in the mid-1850s as “The DeVeaux College for Orphans and Destitute Children” by Judge Samuel DeVeaux and operated by the

Episcopal Diocese of Western New York The Episcopal Diocese of Western New York is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America with jurisdiction over the counties of Cattaraugus County, New York, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua County, New York, Chautauqua, Erie Coun ...

. Samuel DeVeaux (1789-1852) was a heavy contributor to the Lockport and Niagara Railroads, also known as the Strap Railroad and was instrumental in the construction of the Whirlpool Suspension Bridge in 1847. His business dealings resulted in vast purchases of land along the

Niagara River The Niagara River ( ) flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, forming part of the border between Ontario, Canada, to the west, and New York, United States, to the east. The origin of the river's name is debated. Iroquoian scholar Bruce T ...

. The entire region still bears his name. ''Note:'' This includes an
''Accompanying four photographs''
/ref> Judge DeVeaux died suddenly on August 3, 1852, and being deeply religious and a sincere believer in the benefit of education, he left a portion of his estate for the benefit of

and the Episcopal Diocese to establish DeVeaux College. The college was located at the northern limits of the city and opposite the

Whirlpool A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones formed in seas or oceans may be called maelstroms ( ). ''Vo ...

. DeVeaux's vision was a preeminent

institution An institution is a humanly devised structure of rules and norms that shape and constrain social behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions and ...

of learning which would train young men in

academics Academic means of or related to an academy, an institution learning. Academic or academics may also refer to: * Academic staff, or faculty, teachers or research staff * school of philosophers associated with the Platonic Academy in ancient Greece ...

, trade professions and give them an education that did not neglect religious training. For nearly 80 years course work included mandatory military training with

cadets A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime o ...

dressed in uniforms in the tradition of the U.S. Military Academy at

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...

. The last day of military influence on campus came was on Founder's Day in 1950 when the uniforms were replaced by coats and ties. Among the school's faculty was William C. Baker, professor of languages for two years, around 1882-1883. Baker was later elected mayor of Providence, Rhode Island.

Campus buildings

Buildings on the property at one time included Van Rensselaer Hall, Monro Hall, Schoellkopf Hall, Edgewood, the Walker Residence, the Buscaglia-Castellani Art Gallery, a brick barn, boiler house, and three residential homes. The 51-acre site grew to encompass a campus of nearly a dozen buildings and residences. The first building constructed was Van Rensselaer Hall, built in 1855-57 and dedicated on May 20, 1857 in honor of the Rev. Dr. Maunsell Van Rensselaer (1819–1900), older brother of Charles Van Rensselaer (1823–1857) and grandson of

Killian K. Van Rensselaer Killian Killian Van Rensselaer (June 9, 1763 – June 18, 1845) was an American lawyer and United States Federalist Party, Federalist politician who served in the United States Congress as a United States House of Representatives, Represen ...

(1763–1845), the second president of the school. Designed by Buffalo architect Calvin N. Otis, Van Rensselaer Hall was referred to as "the college edifice" and was three and a half stories built at a cost of $14,154. It consisted of the

kitchen A kitchen is a room (architecture), room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a Kitchen stove, stove, a sink ...

dining room A dining room is a room for consuming food. In modern times it is usually next to the kitchen for convenience in serving, though in medieval times it was often on an entirely different floor level. Historically the dining room is furnished with ...

pantries A pantry is a room or cupboard where drink, beverages, food, (sometimes) dishes, household cleaning products, linens or provisions are stored within a home or office. Food and beverage pantries serve in an ancillary capacity to the kitchen. E ...

laundry Laundry is the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with this u ...

, and

bathroom A bathroom is a room in which people wash their bodies or parts thereof. It can contain one or more of the following plumbing fixtures: a shower, a bathtub, a bidet, and a sink (also known as a wash basin in the United Kingdom). A toilet is al ...

s on the ground level and school rooms,

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

, and president's rooms on the second level. The third floor contained the

dormitory A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

which accommodated about 25 boys. Additional dorms and a playroom were in the

attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building. It is also known as a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because they fill the space between the ceiling of a building's t ...

. In 1866 the building was expanded and a new kitchen, chapel, and study hall were added. This expansion was later named Patterson Hall after the second president of the school Rev. Dr. George H. Patterson. The construction of Munro Hall in 1894 was an indication of expansion and lavish spending at Deveaux School. This new Gothic-inspired building cost $18,000 and was attached to Patterson Hall. Munro's major feature was a new and bigger chapel that occupied the entire second floor. "Edgewood", the Chaplain's house also dates to this era of expansion and was located at southeast of the complex.

Years of decline

DeVeaux College fell on hard times as the demand for prep-school education continued to decline in the 20th century. The Episcopal Diocese ceased operations at the school and, in 1971, looked to another organization to accept the burden of taking care of the historic structures. DeVeaux College closed its doors in 1972. Subsequent property owners or lessees included

Niagara County Niagara County is in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 212,666. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word ''Onguiaahra''; meaning ''the strait'' or ''thunder of ...

Niagara University Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in the census-designated place Niagara University, New York, in the town of Lewiston near Niagara Falls. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and ...

, Board of Cooperative Educational Services, and Niagara County Community College. The property is currently owned by the

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS OPRHP) is a state agency within the New York State Executive Department Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law § 3.03. "The office of parks, recreation and h ...

, who christened the property

De Veaux Woods State Park De Veaux Woods State Park is a state park located in Niagara County, New York, USA. The park is located off the Niagara Scenic Parkway, north of the City of Niagara Falls. It is adjacent to Whirlpool State Park. History The park's land was o ...

. The property was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1974.

Gallery

Image:Deveaux School Historic District Barn Jun 09.JPG, Deveaux School Historic District, Barn (1863), June 2009 File:DeVeaux School Historic District Shoellkopf Hall Year Built.jpg, Year opened File:DeVeaux School Historic District - Schoellkopf Hall - 1929.jpg, Schoellkopf Hall Front View File:DeVeaux School Historic District.jpg, School grounds as state park June 2012 File:DeVeaux School Historic District - Boarding Student Dormitory (2 boys per room).jpg, Dormitory (behind Schoellkopf Hall) File:DeVeaux School Historic District - Schoellkopf Hall Circa 1929.jpg, Schoellkopf rear view

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in New York Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Buildings and structures in Niagara County, New York National Register of Historic Places in Niagara County, New York Defunct private universities and colleges in New York (state) 1972 disestablishments in New York (state)