History
Iron River constructed the first Central School just south of the site of the present building in 1884. [2] The school was expanded in 1889, 1898, and 1902; the city built additional buildings, but the school system struggled to keep up with the booming population of Iron River. In 1902, a new school building was planned for the site, and the Milwaukee firm of Van Ryn & DeGelleke was engaged to design the building. However, construction did not begin until 1904, when Newman & Johnson were awarded a contract to construct the school. [2] However, the new building was sufficient for only a few years, and in 1910 the school district engaged John D. Chubb of Chicago to design two wings and a boiler room, which were constructed in 1910-11. "Annexes," likely separate temporary structures, were constructed in 1923, but removed some time later. [2]
Central School served as a high school until 1928, when the district built a new high school. After that, it served as a primary and secondary school, with a fluctuating student population as the economy fluctuated and as schools were consolidated.
The school closed in 1980 and was used for storage afterward. [2] The building was purchased by the Iron River Downtown Development Authority, and they renovated it into an 18-unit cooperative housing structure, [3] known as the "Apple Blossom Apartments." [4]
Description
With its Flemish gable ends, the school is a fine example of Dutch Colonial Revival-style architecture. [5] The original building contained ten classrooms, lab and recitation space, and a 500-seat assembly hall. [2]
A contemporaneous account describes the original structure:
The Central School in Iron River is an imposing and modern structure of two stories and a basement.... It is lighted with electricity and heated with steam and hot air, the air being forced into the rooms by means of a large fan. It also includes among its improvements an electric vacuum cleaning plant in the basement, which is probably the only one in operation in an Upper Peninsula school building. [6]
The 1910-11 wings added more classrooms, as well as a music studio, commercial room, stenographic room, dark room, and offices for school district personnel. [7]
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