Its nomination to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 asserts the school was "a source of great pride to the Douglas Native community" and that it "represents a significant tie with the past for many Douglas Native people.

"[2]: 3 It is a rectangular 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with a gable roof, and sited in Savikko Park overlooking the Gastineau Channel.

Its main entrance is on the second level, set in a recessed entryway which is flanked by fluted pilasters and topped by a swan pediment.

The Bureau intended for the school to provide vocational training and to serve as a community center for the Tlingits of Douglas.

The building served as an educational facility exclusively for Native children until 1940, when it was merged into the Juneau school system.