Romanesque Style School Building was Destroyed by Fire in 1985

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Riley School was Greenfield, Indiana's, high school from 1896 until 1926, and an elementary school from 1926 until 1981. Its massing and careful detailing make it one of Indiana's most architecturally significant school buildings, and certainly the best known example in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. The school is a major architectural presence in the community and has served an important role as a center of community education and activity since its construction.

The discovery of natural gas brought financial benefits and population growth to Greenfield in the late nineteenth century. When the decision to build a new high school was made in early 1895, Greenfield was in an extensive building boom, with a number of public and commercial structures ultimately constructed in the Romanesque style. Architects Wing and Mahurin, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, were responsible for the design, with Greenfield architect John H. Felt as supervising architect. In July of 1895, the school board accepted the bid of contractors Geake and Henry, of Fort Wayne, for a Bedford limestone structure.

In October of the same year, Wing and Mahurin were hired for the design of the new Hancock County Courthouse, presumably on the merits of their work on the high school. This outstanding structure was also designed in the Romanesque style, as were some other major structures built in the city in this period. The Richardsonian Romanesque style is the hallmark of the Wing and Mahurin firm, with several other Indiana courthouses, city halls, and other structures in this style credited to their name.

The high school served as the town library until 1913, and as the headquarters for the Girl Scouts, as well as the usual school-related functions. After its conversion to an elementary school in 1926, it was named Riley School after poet James Whitcomb Riley, the town's most famous citizen.

In May 1985, a fire caused extensive damage to the building, and unfortunately it had to be demolished in April 1986.

Building Description

Riley School, facing south on the northeast corner of Pennsylvania and North Streets, is essentially Romanesque in massing and major form. The building is a free-standing, U-plan, two-and-one-half story, coursed, rock-faced, stone building that was built as a high school in 1895. Few, if any, major alterations have been made to the building or its immediate site. A five-and-one-half-story tower rises from the base of the U. Hip roofs with kick eaves of asphalt shingles surmount both the tower and building. The arms of the U extend to the south from the base. The space between them is filled by a one-story entrance porch approached by four steps, enclosed by an arcade of three round arches. The main building entrance is recessed in this porch. The arch piers are square blocks with a scotia molding at their tops. The voussoirs are tooled stone. The extrados is defined by a scotia molding terminated at each end arch by a foliated carving and between arches by a grotesque carving employing foliated and dragon motifs. The scotia moldings of the two outside arches are pointed in ogee fashion and topped by foliated forms. The central arch is wider and taller than the flanking ones. Its molding is formed in a definite ogee curve. The point breaks through the molding that marks the top of the wall. The point is crowned by a foliated finial. At the level of the top of the outer two arches, a dentiled molding runs the width of the porch. The dentils are decorated with a foliated motif. Between this molding and the upper molding, the stone is tooled. The word "HIGH" is seen in relief above the western arch, and the word "SCHOOL" is seen in relief above the eastern arch in this space. Both words are flanked by fleur-de-lis motifs.

The south faces of the arms of the U are both three bays across. The one-half-sized basement windows and double-hung first and second-story windows have tooled stone sills and rock-faced stone lintels. Center windows are larger than flanking windows. A sill course is placed at the level of the second-story windows. It continues around both sides of both of the arms. Wall dormers penetrate the eaves to form the upper one-half story on each arm. They are gable dormers and have a small embrasure-like opening indicated in the gable peak. Angular tourelles flank the center windows from the second-floor level up to the dormer gables, where they penetrate the roof with the wall dormer. Corbelling tops the walls underneath the eaves.

The south face of the base of the U is four bays across. The next to east-most bay is extended by another gable wall dormer flanked by tourelles to its two-and-one-half story height. The five-and-one-half-story square, pyramidal-roofed tower inhabits the western bay of the base of the U. It is set into the south slope of the hip roof on the base of the U. Two double-hung windows appear on the tower's second floor. Flanking piers begin at the third-floor level and continue up the tower through the eaves to flank the sharply-peaked gable wall dormer. The window on the third floor is double-hung with plain, rectangular sill and lintel. The fourth-floor window is double hung, flattened-basket arch head, and ogee-shaped head-mold with a carved finial at the point. Corbelling at the fifth-floor level and a square molded sill course at this level set off the top two floors of the tower. Three bays show at the fifth level. The center window is double the size of the windows flanking it. All three are double-hung and have smaller, transom-like windows above them. The wall dormer window is similar to the window at the fourth level: basket-arched head, ogee label mold, and finial. From the fourth floor up, the tower shows the same detail on all four faces. Corbelling tops the four walls of the tower under the kick eaves of the polygonal roof.

The western facade is six bays across. The wall is coursed, rock-faced stone with square-headed, double-hung windows at first and second-story levels with these extra details: (reading from the south to the north) The second bay shows a gable wall dormer with rib-like tourelles starting at the sill molding-an echo of the south face wall dormers. The third bay incorporates a stilted arch with tooled voussoirs, and scotia-shaped ogee molding defining the extrados with foliated decorations where molding terminates at impost level and at peak of ogee. The arch is the opening to a recessed entry. A full-sized, double-hung window at the one-and-one-half floor level and a one-half-size window at the second level indicate the staircase inside. Another wall dormer with flanking tourelles completes this bay. The fourth bay is a one-half round adjacent two-story tower with a conical roof. The tower is pierced by three evenly-placed windows on the basement, first, and second-story levels. The second story sill course continues around this tower projection. A corbelled course is placed at the level of the main eaves of the building. Between the corbelled course and the kick eaves of the roof, a series of evenly spaced, embrasure-like cuts can be seen in the tower wall. The last two bays are topped by gable wall dormers. These dormers, however, lack the flanking tourelles.

The east facade is five bays across, similar in construction and configuration to the west facade. Again, front to back, the second bay is topped by a wall dormer flanked by tourelles which extend from the second-floor sill course to above the dormer window. A large, two-and-one-half story, one-half octagon-shaped bay with a hip roof and kick eaves occupies the space on the east that the entrance and tower do on the west (the third bay). Four windows pierce the bay on the basement, first, second, and attic levels. The second-floor sill course continues around the bay. A corbelled course runs around the bay at the third-floor level and level of the eaves on the main building, continuing the corbelled course under these eaves. The remaining two bays have simple square-headed windows at the basement, first, and second levels.

The rear of the building is irregularly shaped. Two projecting masses are divided by a narrow alley-way. The projections show the same detailing as the other facades of the building: coursed, rock-faced, stone walls; second-story sill course; corbelled eave course; dormers; one-half size basement windows; full-size, square-headed, double hung windows at the first and second floors with rectangular, smooth stone lintels and sills; and hip roofs.

The eastern projection is narrow, compared to the western one, and has three closely spaced bays. A regular gable dormer is placed above the central bay.

The western projection extends further to the rear than the eastern one. It is five bays wide, the end bays being set on clipped, angled corners of the building. There is a bay on the east side of the projection facing the alley. This bay, and the two outside bays on the directly rear-facing facade of the projection, are extended with wall dormers through the eaves.

The building's interior is composed of classrooms, administrative offices, restrooms, storage, and utility rooms. No major alterations have been made to the interior layout since original construction, other than the conversion of the second-floor assembly room to a library. The ceiling height has been maintained; windows, woodwork, and flooring are original. The third floor has been unoccupied for many years.

(1982)

(1982)