Supporting History

Preservation 101: Saving Schools

In most Colorado towns, the schoolhouse ranks as high as the church and town hall in importance to the community. While providing space to educate the town's youth, school buildings also serve as social centers. Preservation of historic schools, both rural and urban, has become a critical topic within the preservation community. The National Trust for Historic Preservation's publication Why Johnny Can't Walk to School asserted that "The landmark schools that touched the lives of millions and became stalwart symbols of civic pride are fast disappearing." In Colorado the State Historical Fund has assisted many communities in their schoolhouse preservation efforts.

Many of the 250 or so people who call Crawford - a town located a few miles north of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument - home, consider the old Crawford School to be the community's most important building. "To many, the old Crawford School is the town," states the narrative portion of the town's SHF grant application. Since its construction in 1906 and partial reconstruction after a 1912 fire, the building has been the community's focal point. In 1982 the town purchased the building and now uses it as a town hall, library, and community center. This is where residents go to vote, borrow books, and visit the Chamber of Commerce. Local groups use meeting rooms and the annual Pioneer Days celebration and community Halloween Party takes place here.

Built of ashlar cut stone quarried from nearby canyons, the building is nestled into a slight hillside. Visitors enter through dual doors at the base of a three-story tower. Curved stairways flanking both sides allow access to second floor rooms through arched entries. Three SHF grants totaling $51,000 have supported exterior masonry re-pointing, gutter and downspout installation, exterior wood painting and window repair. The Crawford School stands as a much-loved example of how a school building can continue to serve the community through alternative uses.

Denver's Dora Moore/Corona School and its sister, the Hyde Park/Wyatt School, continue to serve their original function after extensive rehabilitation. Denver architect Robert S. Roeschlaub designed both buildings in the 1880s. The Dora Moore School educated such notable figures as Mamie Eisenhower, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and past mayors Quigg Newton and Bill McNichols. Architect David Dryder, who designed twenty-two other school buildings, including the Evans School and North High School, designed a 1909 addition. Two SHF grants have gone toward window and masonry restoration, with most of the work being done during the summer to avoid disturbing the normal school schedule.

Wyatt School faced hard times before the New Cole Development Corporation, in partnership with the Edison Project and a new owner, came to the State Historical Fund with a plan to renovate the abandoned building at 3620 Franklin Street and return it to its original use. The architectural integrity and interior floor plan was kept intact while mechanical systems were updated and wiring for computers and current technology was run in through existing walls. The magnificent central stairway and classroom woodwork were restored as well. The result has been the introduction of a world-class educational program into a low-income community with few resources.

The Denver Public Schools System is one of two districts in the nation to institute a district-wide process to designate architecturally or historically significant schools. Rehabilitation, maintenance, and repair standards were adopted to guide the use and upkeep of the city's historic schools. In addition, the district includes a specific curriculum for students to study the history of their school and its architectural style. Students learn how their school's past can be used as a benchmark when referring to historical events. When stained-glass windows were re-installed in the Dora Moore School, students were taught how stained glass is made and how designs are chosen. As the sandstone was being restored, students were introduced to geology, where sandstone is found, and how was it was formed. Preserving historic schools offers today's students a sense of connection to their past and a sense of community identity. It's an important lesson: To preserve a school building is to preserve a community.

BY LYLE MILLER, State Historical Fund Technical Advisor