Built in 1893, the Hancock School in Lexington, Mass., is the oldest extant school in the town.

Designed by architects H.W. Hartwell and W.S. Richardson, the school combined function and aesthetics, locating the stairs on the north side and the classrooms on the south side facing the sun. So what you see in this first picture is actually the back of the school.

Before Hancock School was built, the town was dotted with one- and two-room schoolhouses. However, it was reconfigured into condominiums sometime after 1975, which it remains today.

Although a major fire damaged the building on Halloween of 2008, the roof and interior have been repaired and restored.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.