James A. Garfield School

Last updated
James A. Garfield School
James A Garfield School Detroit Michigan.jpg
James A. Garfield School
Interactive map
Location840 Waterman Street
Detroit, Michigan
Coordinates 42°18′23″N83°06′33″W / 42.3064°N 83.1093°W / 42.3064; -83.1093 Coordinates: 42°18′23″N83°06′33″W / 42.3064°N 83.1093°W / 42.3064; -83.1093
Built1896 (1896)
Architect Malcomson and Higginbotham
Architectural styleLate Victorian
Demolished2022
NRHP reference No. 84001857 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJanuary 26, 1984
Designated MSHSMarch 20, 1974 [2]

The James A. Garfield School was a former school building located at 840 Waterman Street in Detroit, Michigan. It is also known as the Frank H. Beard School. It was one of the oldest existing schools in the city of Detroit, as well as one of the least altered. [3] The school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1984, [1] [2] but caught fire and was demolished in 2022. [4]

Contents

History

In 1885, a section of Springwells Township was annexed to the city of Detroit. This section included two elementary schools, requiring the township to construct a new school for the remaining population. In 1886 a four-room schoolhouse was constructed at this site and named for president James A. Garfield. The surrounding area was booming, however, and by 1895 the original school was overcrowded. In 1896 it was torn down, and a new Garfield School, designed by Malcomson and Higginbotham, was constructed. An addition was constructed in 1900. [5] In 1907, the Springwells School District merged with the schools of Detroit. [6] After the merger, the city found that there were now two James A. Garfield Schools in the district, and name of the building was changed to honor Frank H. Beard, the director of the Springwells school board for 17 years. [5] Beard Elementary School moved to a different address and by 2004 became Roberto Clemente Learning Academy. [7]

As the neighborhood changed, enrollment declined. By 2008, the building housed the Beard Early Childhood Center. [3] The school closed permanently in 2014. [8] [ unreliable source? ]

In the early morning hours of July 27, 2022, the building caught fire and sustained considerable damage. [9] The remainder of the school was demolished in October. [4]

Description

The brick school was built in the Victorian Romanesque style. The symmetrical front façade was organized into five bays, with the central and end bays projecting outward and the other two receding. [2] The entrances were topped with semi-circular arches, and the structure boasted a variety of window shapes and sizes. The elaborate brickwork, multi-planed roofline, and the red brick tower conveyed the importance the community attached to public education. [6] An addition to the original school was built in 1900. [3]

Related Research Articles

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

Dearborn is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 109,976. Dearborn is the seventh most-populated city in Michigan and is home to the largest Muslim population in the United States per capita. It also is home to the largest mosque in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Wayne (Detroit)</span> United States historic place

Fort Wayne is located in the city of Detroit, Michigan, at the foot of Livernois Avenue in the Delray neighborhood. The fort is situated on the Detroit River at a point where it is under half a mile to the Ontario shore. The original 1848 limestone barracks still stands, as does the 1845 fort. On the grounds but outside the original fort are additional barracks, officers quarters, hospital, shops, a recreation building, commissary, guard house, garage, and stables.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midtown Detroit</span> Cultural center and neighborhood in Wayne, Michigan, United States

Midtown Detroit is an commercial and residential district located along the east and west side of Woodward Avenue, north of Downtown Detroit, and south of the New Center area. The area includes several historic districts. In addition, it contains a residential area of some 14,550 people and covers 2.09 sq mi. The community area of neighborhoods is bounded by the Chrysler Freeway (I-75) on the east, the Lodge Freeway (M-10) on the west, the Edsel Ford Freeway (I-94) on the north, and the Fisher Freeway (I-75) on the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Park Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Virginia Park Historic District is located on the north side of New Center, an area in Detroit, Michigan, along both sides of Virginia Park Street from Woodward Avenue to the John C. Lodge Freeway access road. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Amsterdam Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The New Amsterdam Historic District is a historic district located in Detroit, Michigan. Buildings in this district are on or near three sequential east-west streets on the two blocks between Woodward Avenue and Second Avenue. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugar Hill Historic District (Detroit)</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Sugar Hill Historic District is a historic district in Detroit, Michigan. It contains 14 structures located along three streets: East Forest, Garfield, and East Canfield, between Woodward Avenue on the west and John R. on the east. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cass Park Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Cass Park Historic District is a historic district in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, consisting of 25 buildings along the streets of Temple, Ledyard, and 2nd, surrounding Cass Park. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005 and designated a city of Detroit historic district in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings</span> Historic commercial buildings in Michigan, United States

The Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings, also known as the Monroe Block, is a historic district located along a block-and-a-half stretch at 16-118 Monroe Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, just off Woodward Avenue at the northern end of Campus Martius. The district was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The thirteen original buildings were built between 1852 and 1911 and ranged from two to five stories in height. The National Theatre, built in 1911, is the oldest surviving theatre in Detroit, a part of the city's original theatre district of the late 19th century, and the sole surviving structure from the original Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings historic period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Vernor–Junction Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

West Vernor–Junction Historic District is a commercial historic district located along West Vernor Highway between Lansing and Cavalry in Detroit, Michigan. The district includes 160 acres (0.65 km2) and 44 buildings. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Vernor–Springwells Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The West Vernor–Springwells Historic District is a six block long commercial historic district located along West Vernor Highway between Honorah and Norman in Detroit, Michigan. The district includes 80 acres (32 ha) and 28 buildings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

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

The Palmer Woods Historic District is a neighborhood located in Detroit, Michigan, bounded by Seven Mile Road, Woodward Avenue, and Strathcona Drive. There are approximately 295 homes in the 188-acre (0.76 km2) district, which is between the City of Highland Park in Wayne County and the City of Ferndale in Oakland County. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The Detroit Golf Club is nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croul–Palms House</span> Historic house in Michigan, United States

The Croul–Palms House is a private residence located at 1394 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. The house is named after its first two owners, Jerome Croul and Francis Palms. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

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

Defer Elementary School is a school building located at 15425 Kercheval in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan in Metro Detroit. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1996 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. A part of the Grosse Pointe Public School System, it serves much of Grosse Pointe Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springwells, Detroit</span> Neighborhoods of Detroit in Wayne, United States

Springwells is a neighborhood located in Detroit, Michigan, near the Ford Motor Company River Rouge Plant.

Malcomson and Higginbotham was an architectural firm started in the nineteenth century and based in Detroit, Michigan. A successor firm, Malcomson-Greimel and Associates, still exists in Rochester, Michigan as of 2010.

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

The Greenfield Union School is a school located at 420 West 7 Mile Road in Detroit, Michigan. A part of Detroit Public Schools (DPS), the school building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmund Atkinson School</span> United States historic building

The Edmund Atkinson School is a school building located at 4900 East Hildale Street in Detroit, Michigan. It is currently operating as Legacy Charter Academy. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George D. Mason</span> American architect

George DeWitt Mason was an American architect who practiced in Detroit, Michigan, in the latter part of the 19th and early decades of the 20th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dearborn City Hall Complex</span> United States historic place

The Dearborn City Hall Complex is a complex of three government buildings located at 13615 Michigan Avenue in Dearborn, Michigan. The complex includes the 1921 Dearborn City Hall, the 1929 Police and Municipal Courts Building, and an office/auditorium concourse addition constructed in 1981. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springwells Park Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Springwells Park Historic District is a historic residential neighborhood located in Dearborn, Michigan and bounded by Rotunda Drive, the Michigan Central Railroad line, and Greenfield and Eastham Roads. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 Garfield, James A., School Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine from the state of Michigan
  3. 1 2 3 Frank H. Beard School Archived 2007-10-11 at the Wayback Machine from the city of Detroit
  4. 1 2 Victor Williams (October 5, 2022). "Abandoned Detroit elementary school set for emergency demolition after catching fire twice". ClickOnDetroit.
  5. 1 2 Proposed Frank H. Beard Historic District (PDF), City of Detroit
  6. 1 2 James A. Garfield School from Detroit1701.org
  7. ↑ "ROBERTO CLEMENTE LEARNING ACADEMY(formerly Beard Elementary)". Detroit Public Schools. 2004-05-25. Archived from the original on 2004-05-25. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  8. ↑ "Beard Elementary School (Closed 2014)". Public School Review. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  9. ↑ Peter Maxwell. "Historic James A. Garfield School battling 3-alarm fire Wednesday morning". WXYZ Detroit.
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.