| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation-Public History.
This educational facility is comprised of a number of periods of construction. The original 1902 portion of the school is located near the center, with the majority of its primary (north) elevation obscured by a large modern addition. Beginning with the easternmost wing, it was built in 1931 and is faced with brick. The primary elevation features a central entrance that is surrounded by stone trim; corners of the building are trimmed with brick quoining. The actual doors, as well as the windows along the second floor above, are replacements. The only other visible facade of the 1931 structure is its east elevation, which is largely devoid of fenestration along the first floor, while the second level includes rectangular expanses of windows separated by brick pilasters. Of the two visible elevations of the 1902/1912 structure, the roof is hipped and windows along the first level are segmentally arched. However, they are also downsized and infilled with rectangular panes. Windows along the second floor are rectangular examples, the uppermost pane of which has been downsized to accommodate standard replacement sashes like those along the first level. Finally, a large, one-story, circa-1990, brick-faced addition to the front of the building includes a roofline similar to that of the 1902/1912 portion. Likewise, window openings are segmentally arched and the building is trimmed with stone. A significantly large and modern (1950s) gabled addition also extends to the south of these three structures (extending all the way to the end of the block), thereby doubling the school mass (of the 1902/12, 1931 and 1990 portions combined).
The first school built in the village proper was Big Foot Academy, which was completed in 1857. In addition to its educational function, the building also served the Seventh Day Baptists as their place of worship for the next fifteen years. In 1882, the school district purchased the structure from the Seventh Day Baptists and, in 1897, the school adopted a four-year high school course. In 1902, a new high school building was constructed and, just ten years later, an addition was made to its rear elevation. By 1931, the school needed additional space and a $50,000, Works Progress Administration-funded addition was erected to the east which included classrooms, a gymnasium and a heating plant. An addition to the rear of the complex in 1953 provided for kindergarten and first-grade rooms, as well as a multi-purpose room and industrial arts and agriculture classrooms. In 1958, a new high school was built along the southern edge of the village and the subject property was utilized as the elementary school, which it continues to function as today. |
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