Quincy (Josiah) School (first) opens.

Architect: Gridley Bryant. Named for Boston’s second mayor, it is designed in the Greek Revival style and located at today’s 90 Tyler Street. Conceived by Horace Mann, it is subsequently described as “The first modern school in America.” It is the first graded middle school and the first school in which students are assigned seats in the U.S. Its first headmaster is John Philbrick, is said to have “drastically reduced punishment by whipping, and added drawing and music to the curriculum.” Destroyed by fire on December 17, 1848, the school is rebuilt (second) on the same site in 1849,* and replaced by a new building (third) on Washington Street. The original building becomes a Chinese community center in 1976.*