| 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.
Nutting was a former art director at the Layton School of Art. The murals were hung in March, 1934 and were authorized the previous year by the Wauwatosa superintendent of schools, William T. Darling. The project was assigned by Charlotte Partridge, the director of the Layton School of Art and the Wisconsin director of the WPA's Federal Art Program. SLIGHTLY PROJECTING ENTRANCE TOWER W/BUTTRESSED CORNER. ART DECO CARVED DETAIL AT ENTRY AND ALONG TOWER PARAPET. BRICK PILASTERS W/ART DECO CARVED CAPS.
The Wauwatosa High School was constructed in 1931. The school incorporated the existing building of the old Longfellow Junior High School, constructed in 1928. The Art Deco style school was expanded with a large addition in 1937 and a gymnasium addition in 1939. In 1961, the Wauwatosa School district expanded significantly in the recently annexed western half of the city with a new West Side School, and the Wauwatosa High School was renamed the Wauwatosa East High School. From 1973 to 1975, the school was further altered with extensive renovations, the removal of the prominent tower, window replacement and removal, and a large classroom and athletic addition on the east side of the building. The school presently has 1,173 students.
Resurveyed 2018: no changes.
2025 - This Art Deco High School was constructed in 1931, with a large addition to the south containing a gymnasium and auditorium completed by 1941. The primary elevation faces west, with the current school complex encompassing three city blocks. This three-story building is clad in brown brick with glazed terra cotta accents, with a raised foundation and a flat roof. The entrance to the original 1931 portion of the building is located near the northern end of the western elevation within a square three-story tower. The tower consists of stepped brick pilasters with terra cotta caps at the base of each story. Three doors comprise the entrance, crafted of sculpted steel with multi-light transoms above. The terra cotta surround includes the word “High School” inlaid over a sunburst motif, with flora and fauna forms decorating the terracotta tiles above, below, and to each side of the entrance. More decorative terra cotta tiling is found at the top of the tower, as well as at the tops of the shallow pilasters. Circular steel awnings are located above the entrances of the auditorium, with chevron metal grills extending in the recessed window bays above. Fenestration throughout consists of modern aluminum fixed sashes, located within their original surrounds. Some openings have been bricked in.
In 1974, the top of the main entrance tower on the western elevation was removed. It formerly extended an additional 30 feet above the roofline and ended in a triangular metal peak; the resulting tower was capped just above the roofline at its current height. Also between 1970 and 1975, residential properties east of the school were acquired and razed to accommodate a large new addition, which added new classrooms and athletic facilities and effectively doubled the footprint of the school. In the years following, northern residential properties were acquired and razed for the construction of outdoor sports fields. The latest addition was constructed in 2020, consisting of a new entrance at the southeastern corner of the building which replaced a portion of the 1975 addition.
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