Indianola Junior High School

Last updated
Indianola Junior High School
Indianola Junior High School -2--Columbus, Ohio.jpg
Entrance to Indianola Junior High School
Indianola Junior High School
Interactive map highlighting the building's location
Location420 E. 19th Ave.,
Columbus, Ohio
Coordinates 40°00′14″N82°59′50″W / 40.0038°N 82.9971°W / 40.0038; -82.9971
Built1929
Architect Howard Dwight Smith
NRHP reference No. 80003000 [1]
CRHP No.CR-27
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJune 30, 1980
Designated CRHPMay 14, 1984

Indianola Junior High School is a historic school building located on 19th Avenue in Columbus, Ohio. The building opened in 1929 after the school moved out of its previous location on 16th Avenue. [2] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. [1]

Contents

The school, founded at its previous location in 1909, was the first junior high school in the United States.

Organization and history

Early history

In the early 1900s, there was support for marking more of a transition from elementary to secondary education. [3] The Indianola school was the first school to be designed as a separate junior high school, incorporating what was then the last two years of elementary school with the first years of high school. [3] [4]

The school was organized in 1909 by the Board of Education of Columbus, Ohio, and Superintendent J.A. Shawan. The first principal of Indianola Junior High School was C. H. Fullerton, and the school included students from the Medary, Northwood, and Eight Avenue Schools. [3] Curriculum was designed by Shawan and Ohio State University President William Oxley Thompson and intended to fight the 8th grade dropout rate which was the time that many children left school to begin working and resulting in a 7% graduation rate in the city from high school. [4]

New location, 1929

In 1929, the school moved to its present location at 420 E. 19th Ave. [4] The building was designed by Ohio State University architect Howard Dwight Smith who also designed Ohio Stadium. Dr. Erwin Frey, who also sculpted the statue of Dr. William Oxley Thompson which stands outside Ohio State University's Thompson Library, was responsible for the sculpture on the building. [5]

In recognition of Columbus, Ohio,'s role in the early junior high school movement (and the Indianola school's in particular), a tablet was incorporated into the structure of the Indianola Junior High School building which reads:

Plaque near the entrance to the school commemorating its founding as "First of its kind in these United States" Indianaola Middle School Plaque.jpg
Plaque near the entrance to the school commemorating its founding as "First of its kind in these United States"
Primus

Indianola
Junior High School
organized in September 1909 at Six-
teenth and Indianola Avenues
First of its
kind in these United States
was reorganized in this building
September 1929. [3]

Graham Elementary and Middle School

Until spring 2007 the building housed the Indianola Alternative Elementary School when students moved to the old Everett Junior High. The building remained vacant until the Graham Expeditionary Middle School opened in 2010. [6]

Metro Schools

In 2018, Ohio State University purchased the property for $2.35 million in order to save and preserve. [7] In 2021, a local STEM-focused charter school, The Metro Schools, began planning a move to the building as part of a larger expansion through a partnership with OSU and Battelle. [8] [9] Metro Schools plans to occupy the building in 2025 to expand its school population. The renovations of the building will cost $34 million. [10]

Architecture

Constructed of buff-colored stretcher bond brick, the Art Deco-inspired three-story junior high school features 18 bay walls with light recessed windows and balconies. The building has decorative ornamentation on its facade including a carving of a buffalo head along with carved tiles of animals above the entrance, a Native American chief bas sculpture above the third floor, and terracotta urns, among others. [11]

As of 1980, the interiors incorporated various elements of the original building on 16th Avenue, including oak woodwork and wainscoting. A wood-burning fireplace, ornamental plaster, and arched leaded glass on bookcases were also in place. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus, Ohio</span> Capital and largest city of Ohio, United States

Columbus is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest after Chicago, and the third-most populous U.S. state capital after Phoenix, Arizona and Austin, Texas. Columbus is the county seat of Franklin County; it also extends into Delaware and Fairfield counties. It is the core city of the Columbus metropolitan area, which encompasses ten counties in central Ohio. It had a population of 2,138,926 in 2020, making it the largest metropolitan area entirely in Ohio and 14th-largest city in the U.S.

Howard Dwight Smith was an architect most known for his designs of Ohio Stadium for which he was awarded the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal for Public Building Design.

The University District, is a 2.8-square-mile (7.3 km2) area located 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Downtown Columbus, Ohio that is home to the main campus of Ohio State University, the Battelle Institute, and Wexner Medical Center. It is generally accepted as the area bounded to the north by Clintonville at Glen Echo Ravine; to the south by the Short North at 5th Avenue; to the west by the Olentangy River and to east by the Conrail railroad tracks. Points of interest include, but are not limited to, the Ohio Stadium and Old North Columbus. The district is Columbus' most densely populated area and contains more than 650 businesses, human service agencies, churches, and schools. University District businesses include boutiques, mixed retail, several tattoo studios, the Gateway Film Center, and a diverse range of restaurants and bars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus City Schools</span> School district for Columbus, Ohio

Columbus City Schools, formerly known as Columbus Public Schools, is the official school district for the city of Columbus, Ohio, and serves most of the city. The district has 46,686 students enrolled, making it the largest school district in the state of Ohio as of June 2021. At its peak during the 1971 school year the district served 110,725 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Columbus, Ohio</span> Neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio

Downtown Columbus is the central business district of Columbus, Ohio. Downtown is centered on the intersection of Broad and High Streets, and encompasses all of the area inside the Inner Belt. Downtown is home to most of the tallest buildings in Columbus.

Columbus, the state capital and Ohio's largest city, has numerous neighborhoods within its city limits. Neighborhood names and boundaries are not officially defined. They may vary or change from time to time due to demographic and economic variables.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Elementary and Middle School</span> Historic site in Columbus, Ohio

Graham Elementary and Middle School is a public K-8 charter school in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally the Indianola Junior High School, the first junior high school in the United States. The building was owned by the Columbus City Schools, though it became operated by the Graham Family of Schools, and was sold to the organization in 2017. 2009 was the middle school's centennial year. Shortly thereafter, the school board closed that building for the 2010 school year and merged the school with the former Indianola Alternative School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old North Columbus</span> Neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio

Old North Columbus is a neighborhood located just north of the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded in 1847 where, at the time, it was a stand-alone city out of the confines of Columbus until it was incorporated into the City of Columbus in 1871. In its early years the city was a popular stagecoach stop with people traveling from Worthington to Columbus. Today Old North Columbus is popular for its local music and its unique "untouched architecture" which is reminiscent of its old roots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Echo (Columbus, Ohio)</span> United States historic place

Glen Echo is a neighborhood located in the far northern part of the University District in Columbus, Ohio. The area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. The name Glen Echo refers to Glen Echo Ravine, which runs along the northern edge of the neighborhood. Principal streets in the area are Glen Echo Drive, Summit Street, Glenmawr Avenue, North Fourth Street, Arcadia, Cliffside Drive, and more. One street, Parkview Drive, was platted in the ravine basin, but was later abandoned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indianola Park</span>

Indianola Park was a trolley park that operated in Columbus, Ohio's University District from 1905 to 1937. The amusement park was created by Charles Miles and Frederick Ingersoll, and peaked in popularity in the 1910s, entertaining crowds of up to 10,000 with the numerous roller coasters and rides, with up to 5,000 in the massive pool alone. The park was also the home field for the Columbus Panhandles for half of a decade. In the 1920s, new owners bought and remodeled the park, and it did well until it closed at the end of the Great Depression.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central High School (Columbus, Ohio)</span> United States historic place

Central High School, also known as High School of Columbus and High School of Commerce, was a four-year secondary school located in Franklinton, Columbus, Ohio. It was a part of Columbus City Schools. On March 7, 1985, the 1924 school building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It is considered part of the Columbus Civic Center Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weinland Park</span> Neighborhood of Columbus in Franklin, Ohio, United States

Weinland Park is a neighborhood north of downtown Columbus, Ohio and encompassed by the boundaries of the University District. A development boom in the 1930s and 1940s resulting from new streetcar lines and the blossoming of factories brought working and middle-class families to the neighborhood. Current housing stock consists primarily of single family residential buildings that have been converted to rentals or multifamily housing. Row-homes and apartment buildings are also ubiquitous in the neighborhood. Renters currently outnumber owners. Commercial and entertainment facilities are concentrated on the North High Street corridor, but also pocket the inner part of the neighborhood as well. Weinland Park saw the sapping of its population and wealth with the rise of newer suburbs ringing the outer reaches of the city and the collapse of local industry and streetcar lines. The neighborhood has been plagued with crime and drug problems for decades but has recently seen a flood of new investment that has brought growth and revitalization to this long struggling neighborhood. Investment into the community includes the South Campus Gateway providing retail and residential finished in 2005, and a new food district and employment center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin Park (Columbus, Ohio)</span> Place

Franklin Park is a neighborhood located on the Near East Side of Columbus, Ohio. Both the historic neighborhood and landmark, the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, are named after the 88-acre park.

The Metro Schools are a semi-public network of three schools located in Columbus, Ohio, United States, on Ohio State University's campus: Metro Early College High School (MECHS), and Metro Middle School (MECMS). The Metro Institute of Technology, the third branch of the school, closed in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public transit in Columbus, Ohio</span> Overview of public transportation in Columbus, Ohio

Public transit has taken numerous forms in Columbus, the largest city and capital of Ohio. Transit has variously used passenger trains, horsecars, streetcars, interurbans, trolley coaches, and buses. Current service is through the Central Ohio Transit Authority's bus system, numerous intercity bus companies, and through bikeshare, rideshare, and electric scooter services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Street (Columbus, Ohio)</span> North-south street in Columbus, Ohio

High Street is a major thoroughfare in Central Ohio, predominantly in Franklin County and Columbus. It stretches from the northern border of Columbus in Delaware County south to the southern boundary of Franklin County just past Columbus's municipal boundaries. The street is considered one of Columbus's two main roads, along with Broad Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus Landmarks</span> Historic preservation foundation in Ohio

The Columbus Landmarks Foundation, known as Columbus Landmarks, is a nonprofit historic preservation organization in Columbus, Ohio. The foundation is best-known for its list of endangered sites in the city and its annual design award, given to buildings, landscapes, and other sites created or renovated in Columbus. It was established in 1977 as a project of the Junior League of Columbus, Ohio, following the demolition of the city's historic Union Station. It is headquartered at 57 Jefferson Avenue, a contributing structure in the Jefferson Avenue Historic District in Downtown Columbus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open Air School (Columbus, Ohio)</span> United States historic place

The Open Air School is a historic building in the Tuttle Park area of Old North Columbus in Columbus, Ohio. The building was constructed as a school, and today houses local a café, bar, a fitness center, and event space. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">120 S. Central Avenue</span> Office building in Columbus, Ohio

120 S. Central Avenue is a former school building in the Franklinton neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The building was built for the West High School, and later served as Starling Middle School and Starling Elementary School. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places and Columbus Register of Historic Properties in 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. Tebben, Gerald (September 7, 2012). "Columbus Mileposts | Sept. 7, 1909: Indianola Junior High first of its kind in U.S." The Columbus Dispatch . Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Bunker, Frank Forest (1935). The Junior High School Movement - Its Beginnings. Washington, DC: W.F. Roberts Company.
  4. 1 2 3 "COLUMBUS MILEPOSTS: SEPT. 7, 1909 - Indianola Junior High first of its kind in U.S." The Columbus Dispatch. September 7, 2012. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  5. Owen, Lorrie, ed. (December 2008). Ohio Historic Places Dictionary, Volume 2. St. Clair Shores, Michigan: Somerset Publishers, Inc. ISBN   9781878592705.
  6. "Number of charter academies jumps with effort to lure dropouts". The Columbus Dispatch. September 13, 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  7. "After delay, school board sells historic building to Ohio State". The Columbus Dispatch. April 18, 2018. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  8. Warren, Brent (2021-05-07). "Metro Schools Planning Renovation of Former Indianola Middle School". Columbus Underground. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  9. "Ohio State, Battelle partner with Metro Schools". Ohio State, Battelle partner with Metro Schools. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  10. "Metro Schools starts interior construction on old Indianola school, eyes 2025 completion". Columbus Business First. Aug 31, 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  11. 1 2 "Indianola Junior High School". National Register of Historic Places. June 30, 1980. Retrieved August 4, 2022.