Union School (St. Johns, Michigan)

Union School
Location 205 W. Baldwin St., St. Johns, Michigan
Coordinates 42°59′52″N 84°33′39″W / 42.99778°N 84.56083°W / 42.99778; -84.56083Coordinates: 42°59′52″N 84°33′39″W / 42.99778°N 84.56083°W / 42.99778; -84.56083
Area 2.5 acres (1.0 ha)
Built 1885
Architect Oliver Hidden, Watkins & Arnold
Architectural style Tudor Revival, Queen Anne, Jacobean, Other
NRHP Reference # 80001851[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP May 15, 1980
Designated MSHS February 27, 1980[2]

The Union School, also known a Central Elementary School, was an educational building located at 205 West Baldwin Street in St. Johns, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site [2] and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1] The school building has been replaced by a housing development.

History

The St Johns school district was founded in 1857; the district re-organized in 1862 and built their second permanent building on this site in 1864.[3] The school burned in early 1885, and construction began on the Union School, the third building constructed for the St. Johns school district, later in the year.[2] It was designed by architect Oliver Hidden of the Bay City/Detroit firm Watkins, Hidden, and Arnold. The building was used as a school by the district until 1986.

The district sold the building to private owners,[2] and houses were constructed on the former site of the school in 2000.[4]

Description

The St. Johns Union School was a 2-1/2 story red brick building set on a raised stone foundation and topped with a slate roof.[2] The school covered an area 147 feet (45 m) long 74 feet (23 m) wide.[3] It had a central mass with a hip roof and two T-shaped wings, also with hip roofs. Broad gable roof dormers broke up the roofline on the front facade, and a square belfry tops the center mass. The exterior decoration included Tudor Revival elements on the entrance surrounds, and first- and second-floor window hoods.

On the interior, classrooms were located in the main masses, with the narrow connecting "T" legs containing stairways, a library, and administration offices.[2] When it was constructed, the building had state-of-the-art lighting, heating, ventilation, and fireproofing.

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Paul East Ward School". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Union School, St. Johns", The Michigan Assessor, 22: 2, 1981
  4. ↑ "205 W Baldwin St, Saint Johns, MI 48879". Zillow.com. Retrieved December 24, 2013.

Further reading

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