Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995, the Varnum School is located at 103 Sixth Street. The school was the first school building constructed in the Centralville neighborhood after its 1851 annexation to Lowell from Dracut. Originally built in 1857, its Greek Revival form is similar to other Lowell public buildings from that era. A two-story addition was built in 1886 and in 1897, a large Classical Revival addition was constructed. The school was named for Major General Joseph Varnum of Dracut who fought in the American Revolution and later served in the Massachusetts Legislature and the U.S. Congress where he served as Speaker of the House.
Closed in 2008, it was sold by the City to a developer who converted it into housing in 2015.
