The Maplewood School, also known as Grammar School No. 5, is a historic school building at 434 Maplewood Avenue in

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

. It was built in 1893, and was designed by

Longstaff & Hurd George W. Longstaff (1850-1901) was an American architect practicing in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Life and career George W. Longstaff was born in 1850 in England. In early life he relocated to the United States, eventually arriving in Bridge ...

. It was built as part of a major program to improve the city's schools and provide for a rapidly growing population. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

Description and history

The former Maplewood School building is located in a residential area on Bridgeport's West Side, occupying part of a block between Linwood and Maplewood Avenues. It is a large two-story brick building, with a flat roof and modest Renaissance Revival styling. Second-story windows on its oldest portion have rounded tops, and the main entrance is set recessed within a rounded-arch opening. The original building had eight classrooms around a central hall, which was doubled with the first addition and doubled again with construction of the annex. and The city of Bridgeport grew rapidly between 1880 and 1920, and undertook a massive building program to replace its aging one and two-room schoolhouses with modern schools. Built in 1892, Maplewood School replaced a one-room schoolhouse, and exemplifies thinking of the period for educational facilities, including graded classrooms, indoor plumbing, and heating. The building was designed by

, a local architectural firm. As a result of overcrowding, in 1903 architect Henry A. Howe, Jr. designed additions, which were built onto both fronts of the school. In 1908, the school was once again enlarged with an annex designed by Joseph W. Northrop.''American Architect'' 30 Sept. 1908: 17. The school was closed in 1980.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Renaissance Revival architecture in Connecticut School buildings completed in 1893 Schools in Fairfield County, Connecticut Education in Bridgeport, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Fairfield County, Connecticut Buildings and structures in Bridgeport, Connecticut

Description and history

See also

References