Epworth School, also known as the Epworth Elementary School, was a historic building located in

Epworth, Iowa Epworth is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Dubuque, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,023 at the 2020 census, up from 1,428 in 2000. History Epworth was platted in 1855. It was named from ...

, United States. The

Iowa Legislature The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of Repres ...

required a high school education for all students in 1911. The school districts that did not have a high school were required the pay their student's tuition in a district that did. This building was a result of that legislation. with Architecturally, the building was a transitional structure between the more decorative styles of the late 19th century and the less ornate styles of the 20th century.

Independence, Iowa Independence is a city in, and the county seat of, Buchanan County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,064 in the 2020 census, an increase from 6,014 in 2000. History Independence was founded in 1847 near the center of present-day Buch ...

architect Harry E. Netcott designed the combination

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

building, and John G. Miller was the contractor. Built in 1917, classes were first held here in January 1918. It initially housed all grades until 1962 when it was converted into an

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

. After the local school district had built a new building, its last day as a school was May 30, 2003. The City of Epworth acquired the building and the Epworth Community Historical Society occupied the building. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2004. Because of maintenance issues the city decided to take down the building in 2011. The property is now occupied by Tower Park.

References

School buildings completed in 1917 Buildings and structures in Dubuque County, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Dubuque County, Iowa School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Colonial Revival architecture in Iowa Romanesque Revival architecture in Iowa Defunct schools in Iowa 1917 establishments in Iowa {{Iowa-struct-stub