Property Record
401 S MILITARY RD
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Franklin School |
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| Other Name: | Franklin School |
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| Reference Number: | 54761 |
| Location (Address): | 401 S MILITARY RD |
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| County: | Fond du Lac |
| City: | Fond du Lac |
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| Year Built: | 1907 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19912020 |
| Historic Use: | school – elem/middle/jr high/high |
| Architectural Style: | Neoclassical/Beaux Arts |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Robert Messmer |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| 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, State Historic Preservation Office. The Franklin School is a two and one-half story brick structure sitting on a tall limestone foundation. It has a hip roof with a cupola and dormers. Windows have been almost entirely enclosed, however the outline of where the original windows were located is evident on the building walls. There are slightly projecting ells at each end of the original building, and a one-story brick addition projects from the south wall of the building. The main entrance sits in a slightly projecting entry pavilion. This entrance has also been enclosed. While the building features very simple Classical Revival details, its significance is that it is one of the only historic school buildings in the city and, it is a good example of the type of buildings being constructed in that era for educational purposes. This building was one of the last schools to be constructed in Fond du Lac during the progressive era of education improvement the city went through during the turn of the century years. Between 1896 and 1907, eight new, modern elementary schools were built in Fond du Lac, replacing numerous smaller schools deemed inadequate at the time. Franklin School is the only school that is still extant from that important era of educational reform. As one of the new schools built during the progressive era of school reform in the city, it represents this important education era in Fond du Lac. 2020 This two-and-one-half-story Neoclassical Revival-style school was constructed in 1907. The brick school sits on a limestone foundation and has an asphalt-shingled hipped roof. The building is irregular in massing due to a series of modern additions, but the L-shape of the original school building is somewhat visible. The primary elevation faces east toward Walker Street and is divided into 3 equally sized bays. The central bay houses what was presumably the main entrance historically but has since been closed off. A large sign reading “FRANKLIN SCHOOL” sits above this former entrance. The central bay contains slender downsized window openings with small modern windows. The flanking bays are almost identical in composition and contain a wide downsized window opening that runs nearly the full length of the bay. Small modern windows have been placed in each opening. Hipped roof dormers are on each roof slope and a domed bell tower rises from the central ridgeline of the roof. Other elevations contain similar fenestration including downsized window openings and modern windows. Large flat roofed additions are located on the western and southern ends of the school. They are one story in height and designed in the contemporary style with minimal architectural detailing. Today the school operates as a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) school facility. |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) Fond du Lac City Directories. (B) Sanborn-Perris Maps - Fond du Lac. (C) Fond du Lac Tax Rolls. (D) Carol Cartwright, City of Fond du Lac Intensive Survey Report, Fond du Lac: City of Fond du Lac, 1992. SESQUICENTENIAL P. 38. FOND DU LAC REPORTER 9/17/1995. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |