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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMarquette School Overview Write UpMarquette School 1905 College Street Anthony Vercio Historical Background: In 1936, Marquette school was built on the site of an earlier 1926 wood framed “portable school” of a similar name. The former schoolhouse had a leaky roof and was too small for the needs of the district. South Bend was still struggling from the effects of the Great Depression and the Federal government offered to subsidize part of the building cost to stimulate the local economy. As part of the New Deal, the Public Works Administration (PWA) offered to pay 45 cents on the dollar to offset the cost of construction. The South Bend architectural firm of Austin and Shambleau designed the building with the construction contract awarded to to Thomas L. HickeThe building was constructed for a for a price of $262,760. The modern brick structure had 13 classrooms, a gymnasium, and a 683-seat auditorium with stage lights and a projection booth. Additions were made in 1948 and 1953 which doubled the classroom capacity of the school. Though originally intended to be a 40 to 50-year structure, Marquette school served roughly 75 years as a neighborhood school. Here is a link to the original blueprints and plans from the additions to the school INSERT LINK In 2007, the South Bend Community School Corporation (SBCSC) decided that the school no longer met the current standards for education and was too costly to maintain. Consequently, SBCSC decided it would be better to demolish the existing structure to build a new Montessori school on the site. The old school would be turned into playing fields and be remembered through a monument. Preservationists in the community submitted that the historic building could be renovated at the same or lesser cost than building new - retaining the architectural firm Bauer LaToza Studio from Chicago to undertake an alternative analysis for a building renovation. That study did demonstrate that a renovation project was feasible and financially prudent. Marquette school was designated a local landmark by the Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend in 2007 which spared it from demolition. The incumbent mayor, Stephen J. Luecke, vetoed the designation. Though not in favor of the designation, he urged the SBCSC not to demolish the old school, but to investigate further alternatives for renovation and repurposing. His veto was deemed invalid by the common council. The impasse remains over designation remains to this day. The Commission maintains authority to review Certificates of Appropriateness applications for demolition by the Corporation. In 2010, a new School was built at the North end of the block and the historic Marquette building was vacated From 2010 to 2015, a portion of the school was used to house the Cassaday costume collection. The building has been been completely vacant since 2015. In 2013, Marquette school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Indiana’s Public Common and High Schools documentation. Description of present and original physical appearance: Marquette school is representative of a neighborhood school constructed in 1936-1937 with aid from the Federal government through the New Deal projects of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The building is Collegiate Gothic Revival style with art deco detailing. It is a two-story brick structure set upon a foundation of smooth cut stone. The walls are English bond brick with stone stretchers, stone string course at water table, sill course, first level, and string course at roofline. There are relief sculptures above the front and side entrances. Though the building has a College street address, its main façade faces Hamilton Street to the south. The main façade is symmetrically arranged into five bays. The roof is flat hidden behind paraphets. Most of the windows on the exterior are 6/9 in configuration and are frequently grouped together with limestone trim. There are four principal entrances to the building, two on Hamilton St., one on Brookfield Street, and one on College St. Marquette school’s plan is a double-loaded corridor plan. The original building had a u-shaped plan, but the additions to the northeast corner of the building made the plan L-shaped. The pattern is repeated on the first and second floor. The inside corner of the L has a two-story gymnasium and the short end of the L has a 2-story auditorium. The interior of Marquette school has a significant number of extant features and finishes. The floors are tiled or terrazzo, though many classroom floors were later covered in carpet. The floors in the gymnasium and art room are composed of maple boards. The walls on the first floor have tall wainscot made of brick with plaster above Doors and moldings are made from oak. Most windows have rose-colored granite sills and oak trim. Throughout the building, much of the ceiling has been lowered with a grid of acoustic tiles covering a plaster ceiling. The Auditorium in the west wing of the building remains. The floor was leveled at a later time. It maintains a separate entrance from the overall school building. The site contains a large front lawn with mature trees and landscaping which the building sets back from Hamilton Street. Generous side yards are on the east and west sides of the building. A service entrance is on the northwest corner. A large area between the historic Marquette and the current Marquette school remains. Historical associations: Old Marquette school was designed by the firm Austin and Shambleau. They designed many buildings in South Bend which are now on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Hager House, The I & M building, and the Tower building. Architectural Significance: · It is an excellent example of a neighborhood public school constructed during the Depression-era. · It is one of two PWA schools built in South Bend - the other being Adams High School on the City’s east side. . · It is collegiate gothic with unique art deco relief sculptures designed by the architects.