Edison School - Pueblo Unit Schoolhouse, Pueblo Colorado
Edison School is significant for its unique and experimental architectural design; and for its association with Dr. R. W. Corwin, originator of the Pueblo Unit School House concept.
The first school building serving the area was built in 1892 and occupied a site about two blocks south of the present site and directly east of the Colorado Coal and Iron (CC&I) Steel Mill. Due to its proximity to the Harlem Subdivision, it was commonly referred to as the Harlem School. The school district outgrew this facility by the early 1900s, at a period when CC & I was expanding eastward and desired to acquire the property. CC & I subsequently purchased the school in 1902, at which time the school board bought the present site.
Due in part to the crash of 1903, the school board decided not to build a permanent structure initially at the new location but chose instead to use portable cottages. Students attending Edison School received instruction in these cottages from 1903 to 1909 when construction of the first permanent buildings were completed.
The plan for Edison School exhibits the experimentation resulting from an increased social consciousness, which was characteristic of the design of many public buildings of the early 1900s. The thought that went into the design of this building is best exhibited in the following article written in 1913 a Dr. Corwin entitled "Further Suggestions Regarding the Pueblo Unit School House"
"The object of universally diffused light in a school room is especially for the purpose of giving the left-handed child a chance equal to the right-handed child.
"The one-sided lighting of a room may be perfect for the right-handed child but how about the 3, 5 or 8 percent of children who are left-handed?
"Have we been slow in comprehending the needs of the minority, or indifferent to their necessities?
"This building has been tried and found satisfactory in every particular.
"No objectionable reflection or cross-lights exist.
"If the building be located so that there be objectionally strong light from the east or west at certain times of day, it can be easily overcome by frosting the windows through which the strong light enters.
"If the windows be hinged at the bottom and swing from the top into the room, ventilation is made most satisfactory and causes no drafts.
"As one of the teachers remarked, 'Fifty pupils scarcely vitiate the air in the least.'
High windows allow space for blackboard on all of which may be used at any time.
"In our little booklet on the Unit School House, twenty other reasons are given why the unit plan is superior to the many-room school building.
"Not only is the sanitation of the multiple-room building detrimental but often criminal.
"It is high time more thought and consideration be given to the construction of our school buildings.
"Do not say the unit plan is more expensive, for it is not. It is less expensive to build and maintain."
Dr. Richard Corwin, the originator of the Pueblo Unit School House Concept, was a member of the School District 20 School Board for forty-four years. He was a graduate of Cornell University and received his Medical Degree from Michigan University Medical School. He served his internship at St. Luke's Hospital, Chicago, in 1879-80. In 1905 he was given a degree of Doctor of Laws by the University of Colorado, and the following year he received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Denver University.
Corwin came to Pueblo in 1881 to organize the Medical department of the Colorado Coal & Iron Company (CC&I). He served as head of the Medical Department of CF&I, the successor of CC&I, and chief surgeon at Minnequa Hospital until his death on June 19, 1929. Through his worldwide studies in surgery and his achievements at Minneaua Hospital, Dr. Corwin became a surgeon of international repute. Minnequa Hospital, which he played a major role in designing, was regarded as one of the outstanding institutions of its kind in America. Many of the unique features found in the design of the hospital were incorporated into the design of other hospitals worldwide. Doctors and surgeons from all parts of the world visited the hospital to acquaint themselves with Dr. Corwin's methods. Many medical discoveries are also credited to him.
Along with his professional interests, Corwin also took an active interest in the community's civic and educational affairs. As well as being a member of the school board, Corwin helped establish the McClelland Public Library and served on its board of directors until his death. In eulogizing the life of Dr. Corwin, the Pueblo Chieftain wrote the following:
"Life was rich in its bestowal of gifts upon this illustrious citizen, filling his cup to overflowing. And he drew the maximum of benefits from these rich gifts and gave them freely unto his fellow men. Pueblo, Colorado, and the world, owe a heavy debt to this genius--a debt they can never repay.
"Only in a humble way can we ever give recognition to the golden deeds of Dr. Corwin--one of the most beloved men who ever came our way."
Building Description
Located in Pueblo, the present Edison School facility is composed of six buildings, three of which were built in 1909 and three in 1923. The complex includes a central building marked by a pair of square towers, one on either side of the central arched entrance, four cubical units with hipped roofs flanking the main building, and one structure located at the south end of the complex which is larger than the individual units and features an arched entrance matching that of the central building. All the structures are connected by open breezeways.
The design and layout of the school followed a concept called the "Pueblo Unit School House." The idea for the design originated with school board member Dr. R.W. Corwin. Architect for the first three buildings, which included the central building and the two "unit school houses" to the north of the central building was J.M. Gile. In 1923 two additional unit schoolhouses and a four-unit classroom building, modeled after the school concept, were constructed. Additions to both the northwest and southwest corners of the central building, the side entrance to the unit schoolhouse, and the open breezeways between the buildings were also constructed at this time to facilitate access between the structures. The only other major addition occurred in 1952 when a stage and restroom facility was built in the space between the central building and the unit directly to the north.
Except for the central building, the unit blocks are devoid of ornamentation and do not reflect any architectural style other than a relationship to the central block. However, all the structures relate physically to one another by a common use of blonde brick as the construction material and a similar roof type (hipped). The style of the central structure can best be described as Italian Renaissance or Tuscan. The features of the building characterizes the style include a Palladian entranceway, widely overhanging eaves, the three-part arcade in the upper portion of the towers, and the semi-hexagonal dormer.
The important design elements of the central block include a centrally located stairway leading to the classical arched front entryway with recessed front doors. The entrance is flanked by two windows with eared architrave surrounds. Framing the central mass are the two square towers which project slightly from the wall surface. They contain open belfries with a pair of modified Doric columns set into the opening. The entire block rests on a raised stone foundation.
The original ground plan for the central building (see attached) does not appear to have included the towers. It was designed as a multi-purpose structure with movable interior walls that could either be used as two classrooms or opened up for school social functions for the pupils or for parents. The interior configuration has experienced change over the years and is now divided into spaces that serve as auditorium/gymnasium, library, administrative offices, cafeteria, and restroom facility.
The unit schoolhouses contain a single classroom and were designed and constructed by the school board to demonstrate the feasibility of admitting light from three sides of the room and only through windows near the ceiling. In keeping with this concept, each structure is designed with a number of windows near the top of the structure directly under the eave. It was felt that this design would provide both universally diffused light, thus eliminating objectional reflections and improving ventilation. Even though these units have undergone a number of changes through time; including the blocking off of windows, the lowering of the ceiling, and the installation of additional windows lower on the walls; the design elements that make these structures unique remain.
Looking Northeast (1985)
Central Building (1909) and Unit School Houses (1923), Looking East (1985)
Central Building Facade and two Unit School Houses Looking East (1985)
Central Building Facade 1909, Looking East (1985)
Looking South (1985)
Four Unit-Unit School House, 1923, Looking East (1985)
