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Summary
Grand Avenue Elementary School
2708 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County
Architects: Henry J. Van Ryn; Gerrit J. De Gelleke
Date of Construction 1921
Designed by the architecture firm of Van Ryn and De Gelleke in the Collegiate Gothic style and completed in 1921, the Grand Avenue School (later renamed Wisconsin Avenue School) was the primary grade school for Milwaukee’s 16th Ward. As official school architects reporting to the Milwaukee Board of School Directors, Henry J. Van Ryn and Gerrit J. De Gelleke were instrumental in establishing the Collegiate Gothic style as the primary style used in school architecture in Milwaukee in the 1910s and 1920s. They were experts in the field of school design, keeping up with the latest trends and incorporating them in their projects. While the school is of a lovely design, it is eligible - not for its architectural style - but as an excellent example of a school property type.
The school is a three-story (plus basement), flat-roofed, red brick building with Indiana limestone sills, belt courses, coping, and carved limestone Gothic detailing. Windows are predominantly aluminum replacements matching the double-hung configuration of the original units without the original muntin patterns. Decorative tile and grotesques are also used to ornament the building. The building is constructed of reinforced concrete footings, poured concrete foundation, and steel frame encapsulated in concrete. Walls and ceilings are flat plaster. Corridors are terrazzo except at the basement corridors, which are poured concrete. Classroom floors are maple.
The school, which held its first classes in 1921, was used continuously as a Milwaukee Public School until it closed in 2007. It is still owned by the Milwaukee Public School system and used as a custodial training and storage facility. With no additions, few modifications, single ownership, and single use the school retains a high degree of integrity as an example of a Collegiate Gothic elementary education facility built between World War I and World War II.
Property Details
| Criteria | Architecture/Engineering |
|---|---|
| Area Of Significance | Architecture |
| Period of Significance | 1921 |
| Architectural Style | Late Gothic Revival |
| Architect | Henry Van Ryn,Gerrit De Gelleke |
| Resource Type | Building |
| Historic Use | School |
Resources Within The Property
| Contributing Buildings | 1 |
|---|---|
| Contributing Sites | 0 |
| Contributing Structures | 0 |
| Contributing Objects | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Buildings | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Sites | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Structures | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Objects | 1 |
Designations
| Historic Status | Listed in the State Register |
|---|---|
| National Historic Landmark Listing Date | Dec 1, 2017 |
| Historic Status | Listed in the National Register |
| National Historic Landmark Listing Date | Mar 23, 2018 |
State & National Registers of Historic Places
The State Register and National Register recognize buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that are significant in national, state, or local history. The State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service maintains the list for Wisconsin and makes the data available to the public for research and education.
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