Property Record
314 DOTY ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Eau Claire High School |
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| Other Name: | Eau Claire Area School District Offices |
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| Reference Number: | 31440 |
| Location (Address): | 314 DOTY ST |
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| County: | Eau Claire |
| City: | Eau Claire |
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| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1925 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1997 |
| Historic Use: | school – elem/middle/jr high/high |
| Architectural Style: | Late Gothic Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | EDWARD J. HANCOCK |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Eau Claire High School |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 1/28/1983 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: | Multiple Resources of Eau Claire |
| Additional Information: | The Eau Claire High School, which was used as a junior high school from 1957 until the 1981-82 term when it was vacated, is located adjacent to the city's main business section. The sloping site is fully utilized by the three story almost square structure (it measures 238 ft. by 208 ft.) which faces an open area known as University Park. An exposed basement is evident on the western portion of the brick and stone building. Dominating the school building is the main entrance, centrally located on the east facade. This opening is included within a tower-like element resembling a "keep." A series of compound pilasters outlines the tower which is further emphasized by the use of stone for the lower entrance area and for the upper segment of the projecting entry and a broad Tudor arched opening lights the interior hallway. A panel of quatre-foil ornamentation completes the lower stage. Large rectangular windows, multi-paned and divided into three parts by wooden mullions, mark the second and third sections of the tower. Above the roofline the tower is characterized by additional detail including statuary niches which are unusual in a public building. To either side of the entrance area are bands of 6/6 double hung windows grouped in 1-2-1 fashion. The facade is terminated by shallow corner pavilions with abbreviated parapets. The north and south facades are similar to the main facade. They repeat the fenestration pattern of the main entrance. The west facade is largely unadorned, featuring only the name of the building just below the roofline. The facades are unified and visually connected by stone string courses. The Eau Claire High School, designed by local architect, Edward Hancock, and erected in 1925, is the city's prime illustration of Collegiate Gothic architecture. Respresenting both a type and a period of construction, the massive school building is highlighted by its main entrance which, contained within a projecting pavilion that rises to and above the roofline, is treated as a medieval "keep," a reflection of its architectural ancestry. Edward Hancock, perhaps the most prominent of the community's architects, was a native of England. who practiced in Eau Claire from 1915 until his death in 1930. He was responsible for several buildings in the city including Boyd School, another Collegiate Gothic structure, the Masonic Temple, an imposing Neo-Classical design, and two commercial buildings of the Art Deco Style (C,D). The city's first high school (Actually, previous to incorporation as a single school district in 1890, a combination grade school/high school was located in each of the city's three school districts) was erected in 1892 and located on Eau Claire's west side. It was in use from 1892 until 1957 when it was demolished. From 1926 to 1957 it served as the city's junior high school. The Eau Claire High School building which was closed at the end of the 1981-82 school term was the city's high school from 1926 to 1957 and one of the city's junior high schools from 1957 to 1982. In 1962 it was renamed Central Junior High School. The School District is presently using the building for administrative offices and storage. 2016- "The Eau Claire Senior Hish School was designed by Edward Hancock, a local architect who also designed the former Boyd School in the same style. The massive high school building is highlighted by the main entrance, which is treated as a medieval "keep." For many years, its hallways were the sites of lively after-school dances. The construction in Eau Claire of a new, modern, and visually impressive high school in 1925 reflected the large growth in enrollment and elaboration of curriculum, which characterized secondary education in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century. By 1939 most eighteen year-olds graduated from high school, and Eau Claire Senior High School enrolled 1850 pupils. It served as the city's only high school until 1957. It was renamed Central Junior High School in 1962, and served as a junior high school until 1982, when the building was converted to administrative offices and storage space for the Eau Claire Area School District." |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) Building inscription. (B) Dedication pamphlet, 1926, available at Board of Education. (C) Barland, L. 1965. The Rivers Flow On, p. 425. (D) Eau Claire Intensive Survey Report, 1982. (E) Eau Claire Leader Telegram, June 5, 1982. (F) MASTER BUILDER, NOV. 1926, P. 6. (G) EAU CLAIRE LEADER-TELEGRAM 9/18/1994. (H) Another map code for this building is EC 1P/34 and its corresponding Survey map name is Plat Map #8. Eau Claire Landmarks booklet published by the Eau Claire Landmarks Commission in 2002. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |