Union_School_(St._Johns,_Michigan)

Union School (St. Johns, Michigan)

Union School (St. Johns, Michigan)

United States historic place

The Union School, also known a Central Elementary School, was an educational building located 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State Historic Site[2] and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1] The school building has been replaced by a housing development.

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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]
    "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. [2]
    "Paul East Ward School". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  3. [3]
    "Union School, St. Johns", The Michigan Assessor, 22: 2, 1981
  4. [4]
    "205 W Baldwin St, Saint Johns, MI 48879". Zillow.com. Retrieved December 24, 2013.

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