This two-story, simple wood-framed house was constructed in 1897 adjacent to the Bishop's House and served as a Russian Orthodox school until 1922, when it became a public school. The gable end of the building is toward the street, but the entrance is in the long side, which is four bays long. The novelty-sided building measures 33 feet by 18 feet. Constructed by James Shields, the building cost $700. An enclosed stairway was added on the north, probably in about 1908, when the building received $300 worth of repairs.
When the school was rented to the city for use as a public school in 1922, the entrance on the west side, next to the Russian Bishop's House, was closed and a new one added to the east side. Partitions were added on the interior, perhaps when the building was rented for housing. The National Park Service has restored the exterior of the building, changing the entrance back to the east side.