Mayer Red Brick Schoolhouse

Last updated
Mayer Red Brick Schoolhouse
MayerSchoolPrescottArea218.jpg
Building in 2008
USA Arizona location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Mayer, Arizona
Coordinates 34°24′0″N112°14′24″W / 34.40000°N 112.24000°W / 34.40000; -112.24000
Built1914
Built byJow Petit
ArchitectW.S. Elliott
Architectural styleSchoolhouse
Restored2003–2008
Restored byMayer Unified School District
NRHP reference No. 04000719 [1]
Added to NRHPJuly 21, 2004

Mayer Red Brick Schoolhouse is a building in Mayer, Arizona. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2004. [1] It is considered the longest used schoolhouse in Arizona, having been in operation for over eighty years. [2] Due to its physical mass and prominent hillside location, it is "the most visible and identifiable building" in the small unincorporated town and the town's largest building. [3]

Contents

It was designed by architect W.S. Elliott and constructed by Prescott, Arizona contractor Joe Petit for $9,000 to $10,000 on land donated by the town's founder, Joe Mayer. Since its completion in 1915, it was continuously used as a school, except for 1982–1987, [4] until 2002 when it was condemned by the fire marshal. [5] It became a fully accredited high school in the 1930s with the installation of indoor plumbing. It was not used as a high school after 1981. Elementary students continued to attend from 1988 to 2002. When constructed, the building faced the town's main street (called Main Street) but the street was later moved to the rear of the building. [5] It also faced the tracks of the Prescott and Eastern Railroad until they were removed in 1949. [3] After a historic restoration in the early 2000s, the building is now used for Mayer Unified School District administrative offices and as a Sheriff's substation.

Characteristics

The building is a typical school building of the era in which it was built. It has a hipped roof and concrete foundation with walls at least 13 inches (330 mm) thick, many windows, and a bell tower on the roof. It has a prominent entrance on the north side featuring double doors with sidelights and a transom in an elaborate arched opening. Exterior walls are red brick, hence the name Red Brick Schoolhouse. The interior has maple-strip flooring and an oak staircase. [3]

History

School enrollment increased rapidly in the early 1910s, prompting the Yavapai County Superintendent of Schools to conclude that the existing school was overcrowded and a larger school building was needed. The citizens passed a municipal bond to pay for a new school. The new school was to be located on the site of the existing school, the hilltop location previously donated by Joe Mayer. This necessitated the moving of the existing wooden school. Construction of the new building began in 1914 and was completed the next year. The bricks used were made in Mayer. The building had coal-fired heating, a ventilation system, electric lights, and initially served eighty students in four classrooms. Three classrooms taught students in two or three grades and the fourth was for high school students (grades nine and ten initially and nine to twelve beginning in the 1930s). The first high school graduation took place on May 19, 1933, with two graduates. [3]

The 1930s brought the addition of an outdoor basketball court built by the Yavapai County highway department and saw the building used for town entertainment as weekly movies were shown in the large second floor. [3]

Lunchroom

Local legend states that the building originally had no basement until local hard rock miners excavated under the completed building. They were motivated to do this in order to provide space for the students to eat as there was no other space for a lunchroom and the community had no funds for expansion. Their volunteer effort, thought impossible by some, was done over several months when they were not at work in the local mines. [5]

Restoration

Building in 2018 Mayer-Mayer Red Brick Schoolhouse-1914.jpg
Building in 2018

In the 1990s, the school district decided the building was no longer suitable for use as a school. Partial remodeling done in 1987 did not overcome original design issues, and further modernizing was not considered financially viable. The school district initiated the process for listing the building by commissioning an assessment by architects Gerald A. Doyle & Associates. Their report concluded the building was no longer "ideal" for use as a school but had "significant architectural and historical significance". The report documented original features including floors, stairs, brickwork, window and door frames, ceilings, interior walls, chair rails, picture moldings, slate chalkboards, light fixtures, and the school bell. Restoration of these features was estimated to cost $411,000. [4]

In December 2000, the school district received funding from the Arizona School Facilities Board to construct additional elementary classroom space allowing the relocation of the remaining elementary classes from the Red Brick Schoolhouse. [6]

The district approved the renovation plan in February 2003 [7] and began interior renovation later that year. The project architect was Swan Architects of Phoenix. [8] Historic renovation was funded by a federal emergency repair and renovation grant from the United States Department of Education, state grants, and private donations. The building was converted for administrative use, with historic displays and the original school bell remaining. [5] A 2003 $22,000 grant from the State Historic Preservation Office funded replacement of the roof and repair of the chimney and windows. This phase of the restoration, which was delayed due to the discovery of asbestos and the difficulty in finding historically accurate bricks to repair the chimney, was completed in 2005. [9]

The renovation was delayed when the building was officially recognized as historic. Renovation plans were updated since some current building codes were no longer applicable to a historic structure. [10] On June 30, 2005 a plaque was unveiled to commemorate the listing of the schoolhouse on the NRHP. The plaque is located in the first floor entryway due to fear of vandalism if it were on the outside of the structure. Restoration work was funded by state and federal grants totaling over $200,000 received by the district in the early 2000s. [11]

In 2008, restoration of the exterior, funded in part by a Heritage Park Restoration grant, was completed. [12]

Current usage

In 2013 the ground floor was leased for $1000 per month for five years to the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office as the Mayer substation. All school district offices were relocated to the second floor. [13] The Sheriff's substation opened in June 2014. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yavapai County, Arizona</span> County in Arizona, United States

Yavapai County is near the center of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 236,209, making it the fourth-most populous county in Arizona. The county seat is Prescott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chino Valley, Arizona</span> Town in Yavapai County, Arizona

Chino Valley is a town in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2021 U.S. Census, the population of the town is 13,492.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prescott, Arizona</span> City in Arizona, United States

Prescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. The city is the county seat of Yavapai County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yavapai-Prescott Tribe</span> Federally recognized tribe in Arizona

The Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe, formerly known as the Yavapai-Prescott Tribe of the Yavapai Reservation, a federally recognized tribe of Yavapai people. Fewer than 200 people are enrolled in the tribe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yavapai College</span> Community college in Yavapai County, Arizona

Yavapai College is a public community college in Yavapai County, Arizona. The main campus is in Prescott, with locations in Clarkdale, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley and Sedona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chana School</span> United States historic place

Chana School is a Registered Historic Place in Ogle County, Illinois, in the county seat of Oregon, Illinois. One of six Oregon sites listed on the Register, the school is an oddly shaped, two-room schoolhouse which has been moved from its original location. Chana School joined the Register in 2005 as an education museum.

Skull Valley School District is a school district in Yavapai County, Arizona. It operates a single public K-8 school, Skull Valley Elementary School, in Skull Valley. The school has four teachers and generally 20–30 students. Enrollment in 2017 was 14 students.

Humboldt Unified School District is a school district based in Prescott Valley, Arizona, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brick Tavern House</span> United States historic place

The Brick Tavern House is a former inn on the National Road west of St. Clairsville, Ohio, United States. One of the oldest National Road taverns still in existence, it was built in the early nineteenth century. Although it fell into dilapidation during the late twentieth century, it was named a historic site in 1995, and extensive restoration was to be performed in the early 2010s but to date, has not been.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elks Building and Theater</span> Opera house and performing arts center in Prescott, Arizona

The Prescott Elks Theater and Performing Arts Center is a classically designed turn of the 20th century opera house seating over 500. Completed in 1905 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Elks Building and Theater, it was one of many "Elks' Opera Houses" across the country. Now over a hundred years later only one still exists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schoolhouse at Truxton Canyon Training School</span> United States historic place

The Schoolhouse at Truxton Canyon Training School, which has also been known as the Truxton Canyon Indian School and as the Valentine Indian School, is a historic schoolhouse that was built in 1903. It was built using Colonial Revival architecture as a work of the Office of Indian Affairs, and was expanded, compatibly with the Colonial Revival style, in 1929. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelson Schoolhouse</span> United States historic place

The Nelson Schoolhouse is a historic school building at 7 Nelson Common Road in Nelson, New Hampshire, United States. Built in 1838 as a district schoolhouse, it served as a school and community function space for many years, and now houses town offices. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Ann McGee</span> Native American Yavapai-Prescott tribal leader

Patricia Ann McGee (Yavapai-Hualapai) was a Native American tribal leader who served as president of the Yavapai-Prescott Tribe. An effective advocate for her tribe, she garnered millions of dollars in federal and state funds to improve the infrastructure on the Yavapai reservation. She negotiated a water settlement agreement between the federal government and the tribe and established the first gaming license for any Indian tribe in Arizona. She helped develop a community center which earned a federal design award and served as an educational center to preserve both the culture and language of the Yavapai. In 2006, McGee was nominated by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and inducted into the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starkweather School</span> United States historic place

Starkweather School is an educational building located at 550 North Holbrook Street in Plymouth, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. It is the only school from its time still extant in Plymouth, and the only school in Plymouth designed by Malcomson and Higginbotham, who designed numerous schools for the Detroit school district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yavapai County Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Yavapai County Courthouse is located at 120 South Cortez Street in Prescott, Arizona. The current courthouse building was built in 1916. It was designed by architect William N. Bowman (1868–1944) and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It is also known for its statue of Bucky O'Neill, a Rough Rider and former Mayor of Prescott. Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater announced his presidential candidacy in 1964 from the steps of the courthouse.

Walnut Grove Elementary School District #7 was a school district in Yavapai County, Arizona. It operated a school in the Walnut Grove area, then became a sending school district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garfield School (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan)</span> United States historic place

The Garfield School, also known as the Garfield Commons, is a former school building located at 510 East Spruce Street in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Red brick building is part of local history". Big Bug News. Sep 18, 2002. p. 4.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Grandrud, Reba Wells (August 8, 2003). "US Dept of the Interior National Register of Historic Places Registration: Mayer Red Brick Schoolhouse" (PDF). Retrieved June 22, 2016. Includes four photos from 2004.
  4. 1 2 "Mayer's red brick schoolhouse has become red herring". The Daily Courier. Prescott. May 14, 1999. p. 6B.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Konlarski, Louise (July 30, 2003). "Grant promised new life for historic Mayer schoolhouse". Big Bug News. p. 1.
  6. ↑ "Mayer schools to get $2 million from state for improvements". Chino Valley Review. Dec 12, 2000.
  7. ↑ "Board approves plans to renovate historic school". Chino Valley Review. Feb 26, 2003.
  8. ↑ "District board opens bids for renovation of historic school". Chino Valley Review. April 22, 2003.
  9. ↑ Colbert, Bruce (Nov 24, 2005). "New roof going on the old red brick schoolhouse this week". The Daily Courier. Prescott.
  10. ↑ "Certificate of occupancy for 'Red Brick' school house is coming from county this week". Chino Valley Review. Mar 1, 2005.
  11. ↑ Johnson-Schmit, Andrew (July 7, 2005). "Red Brick gets historic plaque". The Daily Courier. Prescott. p. 6B.
  12. 1 2 "YCSO substation moves to historic schoolhouse". The Daily Courier. Prescott. June 25, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Mayer Substation Lease Agreement" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 6, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.