The Monroe School is a historic former school at 215 North 7th Street at the intersection of Monroe Street in

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

. It was designed by Norman Foote Marsh in the Neoclassical or Classical Revival style and was an elementary school and then a high school from 1914 to 1972. Later it was a Department of Defense recruiting center until 1988. The building 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 1977. Since 2008 the building has been the home of the Children's Museum of Phoenix.

History

The school was built in 1914 at 215 North 7th Street in Phoenix. The three-story brick building, designed by Los Angeles architect Norman Foote Marsh in 1913, was built in the architecture style known as

Neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture, sometimes referred to as Classical Revival architecture, is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy, France and Germany. It became one of t ...

. When the school officially opened in 1914, it was the largest elementary school west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

.Monroe School Alumni Project
/ref>Arizona Room Monroe School
/ref>NRHP
/ref>About the Museum/Mission History
/ref> Throughout the years the building served as an educational institution for thousands of children. Eventually, the urban-renewal projects of the 1960s played a significant part in the resettlement of many families to new areas, causing a decrease in the school's enrollment. The school closed as an educational institution in 1972. On August 26, 1977, Monroe School was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, reference #77000237. The building was later used as a Department of Defense recruiting center after it went through some remodeling, however, in 1998, the building closed once again.

Children's Museum of Phoenix

In 1998, a small group of volunteers founded the Phoenix Family Museum. The group found support from the Phoenix Legislature who approved $10.5 million in bond funds to purchase and partially renovate the historic Monroe School. The renovation of the building began in 2006. The school became the new home of the Phoenix Family Museum which was renamed "Children's Museum of Phoenix" on June 14, 2008, the same day that the museum opened to the public. Inside the museum there were many exhibits and activities which encourage an interaction between parents and children. Included is a whole wall of glittery CDs suspended from the ceiling. Among the activities which both parents and children can participate is what is known as the "Noodle Forest", which consists of a thicket of towering Styrofoam tubes. In 2015, the Children's Museum of Phoenix was recognized as one of the top three

children's museum Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums fea ...

s in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

References

External links

*{{commons category-inline, Monroe School (Phoenix, Arizona) Museums in Phoenix, Arizona Buildings and structures completed in 1914 Museums established in 1998 1998 establishments in Arizona Neoclassical architecture in Arizona Defunct elementary and primary schools

History

Children's Museum of Phoenix

See also

References

External links