Central School is a school located at 218 West Cayuga Street in

Iron River, Michigan Iron River is a city in Iron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 3,007. The city is situated at the southeast corner of Iron River Township, but is administratively autonomous. History A post ...

, United States. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2008.

History

Iron River constructed the first Central School just south of the site of the present building in 1884. The school was expanded in 1889, 1898, and 1902; the city built additional buildings, but the school system struggled to keep up with the booming population of Iron River. In 1902, a new school building was planned for the site, and the

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

firm of Van Ryn & DeGelleke was engaged to design the building. However, construction did not begin until 1904, when Newman & Johnson were awarded a contract to construct the school. However, the new building was sufficient for only a few years, and in 1910 the school district engaged John D. Chubb of

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to design two wings and a boiler room, which were constructed in 1910-11. "Annexes," likely separate temporary structures, were constructed in 1923, but removed some time later. Central School served as a high school until 1928, when the district built a new high school. After that, it served as a primary and secondary school, with a fluctuating student population as the economy fluctuated and as schools were consolidated. The school closed in 1980 and was used for storage afterward. The building was purchased by the Iron River Downtown Development Authority, and they renovated it into an 18-unit cooperative housing structure, known as the "Apple Blossom Apartments."

Description

With its Flemish gable ends, the school is a fine example of Dutch Colonial Revival-style architecture. The original building contained ten classrooms, lab and recitation space, and a 500-seat assembly hall. A contemporaneous account describes the original structure: The 1910-11 wings added more classrooms, as well as a music studio, commercial room, stenographic room, dark room, and offices for school district personnel.

Gallery

External images

Internal images

File:Commercial Room Central School Iron River.jpg, Commercial Room File:Cooking Room Central School Iron River.jpg, Cooking Room File:Science Room Central School Iron River.jpg, Science Room File:Shop Room Central School Iron River.jpg, Shop Room

References

External links

{{National Register of Historic Places Defunct schools in Michigan Buildings and structures in Iron County, Michigan School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan School buildings completed in 1905 Colonial Revival architecture in Michigan Dutch Colonial Revival architecture in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Iron County, Michigan 1884 establishments in Michigan