Built in 1802-03 as a private academy, it was the first secondary school to open in Berkshire County.

It is a two-story wood-frame structure, with a hip roof and clapboarded exterior.

The pilasters rise to an entablature and projecting cornice with a gable peak at the center.

It served as the town's public high school from 1869 to 1879, at which time it was closed for repairs and renovations.

[2] The building then sat vacant and deteriorated, until the defunct academy, under threat of demolition, was turned over to the town for preservation.