Central Avenue School (Anderson, Indiana)

Infobox_nrhp | name =Central Avenue School
nrhp_type =
location= Anderson, Indiana
lat_degrees = 40 | lat_minutes = 8 | lat_seconds = 0 | lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 85 | long_minutes = 40 | long_seconds = 53 | long_direction = W
area =
architect= Charles F. Parker,Ernest R. Watkins
architecture= Romanesque Revival and Craftsman
added =
governing_body = City of Anderson
refnum= cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-08-31|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

The Central Avenue School is the last remaining nineteenth-century school building in Anderson, Indiana. It is located at 2120 Central Avenue. The school was built in 1891. The brick and stone building is 2 stories tall on a raised basement with two 3-story towers.

From the application for National Historic Status: "The Central Avenue School is significant for its representation of school architecture in both the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Romanesque Revival style was used more often on public buildings and churches than houses, primarily because of the expense in the masonry construction. Romanesque Revival elements on the 1891 structure include masonry construction, round arches, square tower and rough-faced stone work. When constructed and for many years after, the building remained the architectural highlight of this residential neighborhood. The 1891 structure strongly reflects the typical school floor plan of the time period. The floor plan is largely symmetrical with wide hallways accessing classrooms on both sides. The door and window openings have fluted trim and corner modillions in the 1891 building. The 1891 building includes bead board trim along the lower fourth of the original interior walls. Based on the architecture, the school board seems to have focused on constructing a school that was functional and beautiful.

The Anderson City School Board constructed a number of schools in Anderson in the 1890s. Nearly all were 2-stories, masonry construction with stone foundations and brick superstructures. 3-story towers with pyramidal rooflines are also found on almost all, with the tower either integrated into the plan or, like Central Avenue, projecting out from the plan. The main entrance for all of the schools was the focal point with either a stone or brick arch and double doors. Only Central had the actual entrance recessed within the tower.

The number of openings in the window groupings varied on the different schools, but were similar in height and degree of ornamentation. Most had round or segmented arch windows on at least one floor, often with stone sills. Central Avenue (1891), Hazelwood (1891), Columbia (1893), Seventh Street (1894) and Washington (1896) all had decorative brickwork along the roofline. Main Street School (1888) was the only one not built with a rectangular or square plan and Park Place School was the only 1-story masonry school.

The number of classrooms was consistent with the early masonry schools. Main Street, Central, Hazelwood, Columbia, Seventh Street and Washington all had eight rooms. The one frame building had only two. Only the two buildings utilized for high schools had more than eight rooms.

The ornate brickwork, interior trim and large windows on the original 1891 Central Avenue School sharply contrast with the 1921 Craftsman-style addition. The addition continues the central hallway plan with two classrooms on each floor, but with fewer window openings and very simple or non-existent trim.

The architect for the 1921 addition incorporated the massing and layout of the 1891 building into the new addition. While the new addition reflects the style and amenities of the 1920s, the plan and massing are more reflective of the original building. The addition blends relatively well with the original while reflecting its architecturalstyle.

The addition to Central Avenue occurred about seven years after the construction of Riley School (1914)and the same time as the addition to Park Place School. The rectangular plan, massing and simplicity are similar among the three projects, each with parapet rooflines, concrete stringcourses, window groupings, and simple or non-existent window and door trim. On each building, large expanses of exterior walls with no openings have decorative brickwork with concrete accents. The shape of the plans for both the Riley and Central Avenue additions complement the original structure at each school reflecting thearchitects’ desire to blend with the existing building. However, stylistically, each addition reflected the current architectural style. These three building projects were part of a transition from grand 2-story schools with towers and extensive decorative details to the simple, elongated, one-story schools from the 1940s onward.

Built-in cabinets and/or storage closets exist throughout both sections of the building providing much-needed storage space for teaching supplies. Numerous chalkboards remain intact throughout the building with wood trim and chalk trays. Often these chalkboards cover the entire width of the wall, reflective of a time when most teacher demonstrations were on chalkboards and students often worked problems on the chalkboard. Chalkboard styles and trim differ between the 1891 and 1921 buildings showing the changes in styles in school features. The 1891 doorways had operable transoms which provided much neededairflow through the building. The transom openings remain intact although all but one of the operable transoms were removed with the 1970s renovations.

Architecturally, Central Avenue School demonstrates two distinctly different styles in school architecture and to some extent two different modes of thought in school construction. The 1891 building has little storage beyond small built-in cabinets. The large windows and door transoms were important for ventilation and student comfort. Large chalkboards incorporated wide chalk trays. Expenditures included decorative door and window trim with paneled doors, a reflection of the school board’s willingness to fund construction beyond “necessities.” By 1921, school architecture included large storage rooms and larger built-in cabinets. The chalkboards remained, but with simpler frames and small bulletin boards across the top. Improvements in ventilation systems and lighting were reflected in the elimination of many window openings and door transoms.

The Central Avenue School was a significant part of the Anderson Public School system for more than sixty years. Built when the city’s population was growing at a rapid rate, the structure was constructed at a crucial time and met an important need in educating the student population. When built and thirty years later when added on to, the building was seen as an excellent education facility. The building grew and adapted to meet the needs of this area’s elementary education including Free Kindergarten, a new idea that took hold in the 1920’s and remains a significant part of our system today. The structure remained part of the Anderson School system serving the needs of many students for years after it was deemed unsuitable by two different studies. Central Avenue School is the oldest school building in existence in Anderson, the only pre-1900 building, and is wellrepresentative of school architecture from the 1890s and 1920s."

References

* Anderson: A Pictorial History by Esther Dittlinger, copyright 1991, page 65,67

There is no such thing as "National Historic Status." Instead, the above information appears to have come from the National Register of Historic Places nomination form.

External links

* Application for Historic Landmark Status - http://www.in.gov/dnr/historic/bin/rb_apps/2007/central_school_all.pdf
* Indiana Historic Landmark Article on Central Avenue School - http://www.historiclandmarks.org/noted/endangered/endangered0405.html