Former Elementary School Building in Indianapolis IN

Benjamin Franklin Public School Number 36, Indianapolis Indiana

Date added: July 08, 2024

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Indianapolis was founded as the capital of Indiana in 1821. For the first two decades, growth was slow. In the 1840s the city became a major railroad hub, and rapid residential, commercial and industrial development followed. In 1850 the town had 8,091 residents. By 1870, as the nation recovered from the Civil War, this total had swelled to 48,244, an increase of 159 percent.

The first schools in Indianapolis, as in many other Midwestern cities, were private academies. In the winter of 1846-1847, the first city charter included a provision for the establishment of taxpayer-supported common schools. Following a vigorous debate, the matter was put before the voters the following spring, and passed by a wide majority. Over the next decade public education gained a tenuous foothold in the capital city. "The spirit of progress was awake, but the road for advance was not clearly defined" (Jacob Piatt Dunn, Greater Indianapolis [The Lewis Publishing Company, 1910], p. 269).

For many years the Indianapolis schools struggled with inadequate funding. "Indiana's burgeoning cities could build schools, but could not hire teachers via taxes to staff them". School construction consumed most of the system's limited resources, and schools were forced to charge tuition so teachers could be paid. The first "free" school in the city opened its doors in 1853, for a brief two-month period. In the same year the city's first high school opened, housed in the old Marion County Seminary.

In the 1850s, the city continued to struggle with school funding. The Indianapolis schools, strapped for funds, remained closed from 1858 to 1860. After the schools reopened, the school board, despite ongoing fiscal problems due to limited taxation, embarked on a building program to alleviate overcrowded conditions. In 1863 the city was divided into nine wards, each with its own school. To remove the schools from party politics, in 1871 the governing of the Indianapolis public schools was placed in the hands of an elected independent body called the Board of School Commissioners.

By 1884 Indianapolis had 28 elementary schools and two high schools. Twelve additional buildings were constructed between 1889 and 1893 to house the growing student population; these included the original, two-room P.S. #36. An increase in the city tax rate in 1896 made it easier to fund construction. During the late 1890s several more buildings, including the rebuilt P.S. #36, were constructed. In 1897 the Legislature passed a compulsory education law requiring all children ages 6 to 14 to attend public or private schools. This gave impetus to school construction throughout the state.

The first years of the 20^th century saw a boom in school construction in Indianapolis. During this time the Board replaced some of its oldest buildings with new facilities. Part of the impetus for the building program may have come from improved technology such as electricity and indoor plumbing, and from new educational trends such as physical education, manual training, and domestic science. In 1919 the Board commissioned Adolf and Anton Scherrer to develop a plan of standardization for new school construction. This plan focused on coordinating the many changes and improvements, particularly indoor plumbing, that had developed since the 1890s. The "standard" school building was to have 16 classrooms when completed, but the design of the building enabled them to be built in units of 4, 8 or 12. Although the plan called for each school to have a combination auditorium/gymnasium, in practice these were often added after the fact. The buildings were also to be fireproof.

During the Great Depression of the 1930s few new school buildings were built in Indianapolis except those for which financial arrangements were made prior to the downturn. Portable "colony" units were used to start new schools and aid crowded older ones. Because more students recognized the value of a high school diploma in tough economic times, high-school enrollment jumped 33 percent during this decade: by 1935 29 percent of students attended secondary school.

The "baby boom" of the post-World War II era swelled school populations throughout the country. Newspaper stories of the late 1950s decried overcrowded conditions and called for construction of new schools. Indiana rose to the challenge and by 1957 ranked 13^th nationwide in school construction. In Indianapolis, new schools were built, and many existing ones, such as Franklin, received sizeable additions.

In the last three decades of the 20^th century, urban sprawl and inner-city population decline led to the closure or consolidation of many central-city schools. Many schools such as Franklin were vacated, demolished or converted to new uses.

Benjamin Franklin Public School #36

The late 19^th century was an era of expansive growth for Indianapolis. Between 1870 and 1890 the city's population more than doubled, climbing from 48,244 to 105,436. New railroads attracted industry, and the discovery of natural gas nearby enhanced prosperity. The expansion of industry and commerce boosted the demand for land in and near the city. With few physical barriers to halt its growth, the city expanded in all directions. "The city grew in area through a series of annexations that encompassed most of Center Township and beyond. Much of this vacant land became residential districts. By 1900 the city had grown to 27.21 square miles".

Franklin School, the first public school in Indianapolis built north of Fall Creek, is an expression of this outward expansion of the city during this period of unprecedented growth and prosperity.

In December of 1891, a committee of citizens came to the school board meeting to emphasize the necessity of a school building north of Fall Creek. The matter was referred to the Committee on Buildings and Grounds and nothing more was heard of it until the Superintendent's Annual Report given 15^th February 1892.

Superintendent L.H. Jones recommended that a lot be purchased in the area "as it is quite certain that the population will drift that way with great rapidity in the next few years." Within a month the board advertised for suitable land and purchased a 200' x 265' lot on the northeast corner of Tennessee (now Capitol) and 20^th Street (now 27^th Street). M.M. Cotton contracted to build a one-room "cottage school building" for $1,471 and classes began that fall.

The new schoolhouse offered only the first and second grades, presided over by teacher Eleanor Wells. In 1894 the school was expanded to four rooms.

By February of 1894, the board's Committee on Buildings and Grounds recommended that a four-room building, which could readily be enlarged to eight rooms, be built on the site. The board began negotiations with Adolf Scherrer to design this and three other buildings: P.S. #15, P.S. #39, and an addition to P.S. #23. The board had difficulty deciding what size school should be built at the site, and at one point Scherrer was asked to design a 12-room building. They finally settled on an eight-room design that could be enlarged to 12 rooms at a later date. Before contracts were let, they also decided to include an assembly room in the attic story. Scherrer's design was submitted on February 20th.

In March 1894 the board sought bids from contractors to construct the school, and in April the contract was awarded to William Kallan upon a bid of $22,257. The specifications did not include slate blackboards, which were added later. Construction began in the spring of 1895 and was completed a year later. Upon its completion, the new P.S. #36 contained eight classrooms, principal's and nurse's offices, an attic assembly room, a full basement, a kitchen and dining area, and a wood shop, the first built in a grade school. For a time, the principal's office boasted the only electric light north of Fall Creek. Because of fire-safety concerns, and because the space was needed for classrooms, the attic assembly room was not used for that purpose after 1900. "P.S. #36 was officially named for Benjamin Franklin in January, 1903, after a petition from patrons of the school was presented to the board".

An 1898 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Indianapolis depicts the school soon after its completion. It is indicated as a cubical brick building with fire-resistant roof, 40 feet "to [the] eaves" with a 60-foot tower. A furnace provided heat, and the building was lighted with gas. A small, one-story house stood at the northeast corner of the lot, facing North Kenwood Avenue. The map also indicates that the surrounding neighborhood was still sparsely developed, with many vacant lots.

Over the next two decades, the building expanded along with the neighborhood. A "third story" was added c. 1905, during the tenure of principal Ida Geary. Ms. Geary later recalled that during her tenure, the building housed eleven classrooms of about forty pupils each. (The basement classroom may have been added around this time.) In the 1910s two portable buildings were added to accommodate the third and fourth grades, with 16 classrooms in all. The crowded conditions in P.S. #36 were ultimately relieved by construction of P.S. #60 at 33^rd and Pennsylvania, nine blocks away.

Franklin School celebrated its 40^th anniversary in 1936. A newspaper story covering the event stated: "Many who have gained wide prominence in various walks of life received their first schooling in No. 36". The article also noted that 25 of the pupils then in attendance had parents or grandparents who were students in the same building. During its first four decades the school had 11 principals, with Jessie Smith serving the longest, from 1909 to 1922.

A 1915 Sanborn map, revised to 1950, depicts the school at its 50-year mark. A "tubular fire escape," since removed, adjoined the southeast corner. The frame house was gone, and the school's property now extended northward along North Kenwood Avenue. The neighborhood was solidly built with one- and two-story dwellings and "flats." In 1959 a large addition was appended to the rear of the school to accommodate increased enrollment.

In 1980, faced with a declining student population, the Indianapolis Public Schools adopted a plan for consolidation and closure of schools. This plan was fought by community groups, and some residents filed suit to keep local schools open. Despite their efforts, Franklin School, along with ten other neighborhood schools, closed its doors that summer. Alternate uses were sought for the redundant school buildings, which were sold to private owners. Franklin School was converted to a community center. The present owner is currently renovating the building for senior citizen housing.

School architecture in the late 19^th century

During the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, experts in school design stressed the importance of good lighting, ventilation and high-quality materials. School buildings, they proclaimed, should combine beauty and utility; they should be attractively designed but not ostentatious, with no wasted space; they should be sanitary and easy to clean and maintain.

Let the school building, then, be solidly constructed, thoroughly fireproof, abundantly lighted, with adequate, straight halls and ample stairways, having sunshine and access for the outer air in every room besides abundant forced ventilation; let it be cheerful and attractive without and within, well placed and supplied with adequate playgrounds and pleasant surroundings, and it will not only be a source of pride, but a blessing to the community, as well as a credit to its designer. (A.D.F. Hamlin, "Consideration in School House Design," in Modern School Houses [The Swetland Publishing Company, 1910, 1915], p. 11)

Good lighting was critical for learning. Architects recommended banks of large windows, several feet above the floor. To reduce glare, light should come over the left shoulder or from the back. To prevent shadows, single-pane glass was preferred. Heavy transom bars were to be avoided since they cast shadows.

Free movement of air was advocated to reduce concentrations of noxious substances and odors, and eliminate close, stuffy conditions. Ideally, the window-surface of schoolrooms should be at least one-fifth the size of the floor surface. Transoms over doors were recommended, and, for cross-ventilation, "inside sash in the walls, between halls and rooms" (See Warren Richard Briggs, F.A.I.A., Modern American School Buildings [John Wiley & Sons, 1899], p. 346.). "This will insure, by opening the outside windows, a free circulation of air through the rooms and halls in warm weather, and a complete flushing of the rooms at any time it may be required".

Surfaces should be durable and easy to clean. Light-colored plaster and varnished wainscoting, or glazed brick or tile were favored wall treatments; for ceilings, metal, light-colored hardwood, or a system of Portland cement over fireproof floor tiles (Briggs, pp. 338, 339). Woodwork should be of simple design, with a natural finish. Picture-molding made it easier to hang maps and charts.

Proper schoolroom layout aided classroom management. A slightly oblong shape was preferred, with the teacher's desk at one end. One ample door should be provided near the teacher's end of the room: wide enough for "two files" of children to pass in or out, under the teacher's "eye and full control". Cloakrooms should include a window at one end, with two doors opening into the classroom and none into the hallway.

For reasons of safety and efficiency, architects advised against central staircases. Because they were centered above basement furnaces or boilers, they could be death traps in case of fire. Instead, designers recommended placing staircases against outside walls, situated so students could move in and out and up and down without disturbing others.

Twin stairs were preferred, "so that in case of fire or accident two independent and isolated exits are available". Stairs were to be built of high-quality materials, and fireproof; closed construction was preferred. They should contain at least "one broad platform or landing in the height of any one story", well lit by direct light, with windows at least four feet off the floor.

Safety-conscious architects recommended against placing the assembly hall on the top floor, while others thought these were acceptable for occasional use. Boilers and furnaces were to be located in fireproof rooms.

The design of Franklin School reflects progressive trends in school design during the late 19^th century, as school buildings incorporated technological advances such as electric light, indoor plumbing and mechanical ventilation. The building's interior layout, finishes, and details reflect "modern" school buildings of the 1890s and early 1900s. Characteristic features include twin metal staircases placed against outer walls, grouped single-pane sashes, metal ceilings, operable transoms and interior windows, and simple millwork with a clear finish. The school featured the first wood shop in an Indianapolis elementary school, and the principal's office boasted the first electric light north of Fall Creek.

Indianapolis school buildings

The first school buildings constructed in the capital city were primarily one- and two-room structures: one-story units designed to accommodate the later addition of a second story. None is known to survive in its original form. As the school-age population expanded in the 1860s and 1870s, larger, more permanent structures appeared: two- and three-story brick and frame edifices of vertical massing.

In 1880 school standards were upgraded. Frame buildings were abandoned in favor of more durable, fire-resistant masonry. Three-story designs fell from favor, also because of fire safety concerns. The new standards called for 12-room, graded-school buildings with ample light and good ventilation. To ensure optimal lighting, corner sites were preferred, preferably bounded on three sides by streets and alleys.

"Architects incorporated educators' new ideas about lighting and ventilation into these often cubical massed buildings. Central furnaces with ducting for fresh air, large banks of double-hung windows, even electrical wiring for artificial light or piping for natural gas lights were part of these new schools". Interiors also reflected standard plans. "A large entry arch with double doors led into a true internal corridor which led to four to eight rooms … The entry foyer might actually contain a staircase leading to the raised main level, or a split stair leading down to a raised basement level and up to a main level".

The elementary schools built in Indianapolis in the late 19^th century, such as Franklin School, are vertically oriented, massed-plan buildings, rising two or two-and-a-half-stories above a raised basement. Facades are symmetrical. Central towers are common features. Window openings typically are segmentally arched, or flat with limestone headers. Extant schools span the period from 1872 to 1899.

Most school buildings of the early 20^th century followed the same cubical form as their counterparts of the late 1800s, albeit with flatter, more symmetrical facades, and classical garb. By the 1910s, however, a new silhouette emerged: more horizontal in form, with flat roofs and banks of large windows. "Schools of the 'teens and twenties were less vertical in plan, tending to have a central entry pavilion and wings extending away on either side. Windows filled entire walls of these later schools". This same basic form, updated with Art Deco/Moderne detailing, would remain popular for the next three decades.

In the "baby boom" years after World War II, Indianapolis' school population again increased rapidly, giving rise to another wave of school construction and expansion. The rear addition of Franklin School exemplifies the decidedly modern buildings constructed in the 1950s, which were horizontal in orientation, with flat roofs, planar facades and ribbon windows.

Some of the oldest extant public school buildings in Indianapolis exemplify the Italianate style. Among them is the Oliver P. Morton School #29, an 1890 edifice designed by Louis Gibson. A Romanesque Revival addition was completed in 1893.

Three Romanesque Revival schools, including Franklin School, have been identified. The John Greenleaf Whittier School #33, was built in 1893. Additions from 1902 and 1926 were designed by Vonnegut & Bohn. James Russell Lowell School #51 was, built in 1900. The original building was designed by architect T.A. Winteroud; a Neoclassical Revival addition was added in 1913 and a modern addition in 1955. Brookside School #54 (site 1044) is a Romanesque Revival work of 1910 enlarged in 20^th Century Functional style. Schools #51 and #54 are slated for demolition; after they are demolished, Franklin School will be Indianapoli's sole remaining public school building in the Romanesque Revival style.

At the turn of the 20^th century, classical revival styles came to prominence for public buildings in Indianapolis, including schools. William Watson Woolen School #45 is a Beaux Arts edifice built in 1898 and enlarged in 1913. It is the work of Vonnegut & Bohn, one of the city's leading architectural firms of the late 19^th and early 20^th century. The firm also designed George W. Sloan School #41, a Neoclassical Revival structure of 1897 with additions in 1903 and 1914. Another classically styled work is James A. Garfield School #35, built in 1908 and 1910. John McCormick School #30, built 1924, is a Neoclassical Revival building designed by Elmer Dunlap.

During the early 20^th century Period Revival styles also found favor with school architects. Three schools represent the Tudor Revival style: Florence Fay School #21, a 1913 work of Herbert Bass; Robert Dale Owen School #12, designed by Robert P. Daggett in 1916; and Eleanor A. Skillen School #34 (1914; R.F. Dagget & Company). Riverside School #44, built in 1921 and 1936, exemplifies the Jacobethan Revival mode.

Adolf Scherrer

Adolf Scherrer, designer of Benjamin Franklin Public School #36, was one of the leading architects of Indianapolis during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. "Mr. Scherrer, a resident of Indianapolis fifty-two years, observed the growth of the city and had a prominent part in planning buildings erected during that time" (Indianapolis Star, February 14^th, 1925, p. 1).

Scherrer was born in Switzerland in 1847. He received his early education in common schools, then studied at universities in Vienna and Budapest. In 1870 he emigrated to the United States, settling first in New York. He relocated to the Midwest, spending two years in Chicago, and arrived in Indianapolis in 1873. His first job was as a draftsman in the office of Edwin May, one of the leading architects of Indianapolis of that day, who was drafting plans for the Indiana State House. Upon his employer's death, Scherrer took up the work and carried it to completion. His name is inscribed on state records as supervising architect for the structure.

During the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries Scherrer designed many important public buildings in Indianapolis. These included the 34^th Street and Boulevard Place entrance to Crown Hill Cemetery, in the Gothic Revival style (1885); the Old Pathology Building (1896) at Central State Hospital, and many additions to the hospital; and the Elks Club. He also received at least two high-profile commissions for the German-American community: the Independent Turnverein Building (1913) and the Maennerchor Building (demolished), built for "instruction about and appreciation of the great German composers". Scherrer's body of work demonstrates that he was proficient in late-19th-century Revival styles as well as the innovative Prairie Style of the early 20^th century.

Scherrer designed a series of Indianapolis Public School buildings in the 1890s, including P.S. #36, William McKinley Public School #39, the original Thomas D. Gregg School 1889, was characteristic of Scherrer's IPS designs. Like Franklin School, it presented a truncated hipped roof, an encircling brick cornice, and a central tower (roof removed) with paired, arched windows and arched vestibule. The segmentally arched windows contained 6/6 panes. A series of additions extended outward from the rear. Scherrer also served as supervising architect for Manual Training High School, built in 1895. In 1919,

Scherrer and his son Anton (1878-1960), devised a standard plan for IPS buildings, incorporating the latest technological advancements and progressive ideas in education.

Scherrer served on the city's Board of Public Works from 1893 to 1895, during the administration of Mayor J.L. Sullivan. The Board was charged with hiring the engineer who designed the city's first comprehensive sewer system. Scherrer was a member of the Indianapolis Architect's Association and a fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

In 1877 Scherrer married Emma Anaeshaensel. The couple had two sons, Herman and Anton. Both became well-known architects in Indianapolis, working first with their father and later on their own. Scherrer retired from active practice in 1919, following a debilitating stroke. He died in 1925.

Building Description

Benjamin Franklin Public School #36, also known as P.S. #36, is a Romanesque Revival brick school building of cubical massing, built in 1896. At the rear is a two-story addition built in 1959, in functional modern style.

The school building is located at the northeast corner of North Capitol Avenue and West Twenty-Eighth Street in northwest Indianapolis. It is part of a residential neighborhood that was developed for the most part in the 1910s and 1920s. Opposite the school is a line of frame bungalow and American Foursquare dwellings. To the south, across West Twenty-Eighth Street, is a small c. 1950-1960 supermarket. Adjoining the school building on the north is a small playground, surrounded by a chain-link fence. To the east of the playground is a paved parking lot, with an alley leading to North Kenwood Avenue.

The 1896 building rises two-and-a-half-stories above a raised basement and is crowned by a hipped roof with extended eaves. The main facade, which faces west, contains six bays arranged in symmetry. It is dominated by a three-story central tower with hipped roof. The north and south elevations contain 10 bays irregularly arranged in groups of three and four. Crowning the south wall are a gabled wall dormer, placed off center, and a hipped roof dormer. Centered above the north wall is a large hipped dormer framed by narrow brick chimneys with stone caps.

The main entrance to the school is contained in a segmentally arched vestibule at the base of the central tower. Centered above, in the second story, is a large, fully arched, triple window. A steel I-beam extends across the window at the base of the arch. Below the window is a blind recess, rectangular in shape, that formerly contained a tablet inscribed with the original name of the school. Above the window is a stone tablet bearing the inscription, "Franklin School No. 36"; the tablet, which rests on the surface of the wall, was added in 1903. Each face of the square tower contains a trio of narrow, rectangular windows. A brick corbel table completes the composition. Originally rising to a pyramid, the tower roof was truncated at an unknown date.

The school building rests on a foundation of rock-faced limestone ashlar. The walls are unpainted red brick laid in common bond; some small areas of mortar are missing. Smooth-faced limestone lintels and sills grace the facade bays. A stepped brick corbel table encircles the building. The central section of the south elevation exhibits a simpler pattern (coursed rather than stepped) and appears to have been rebuilt.

The window openings contain white vinyl thermal sashes c. 1980, most of which contain double-hung 1/1 units with fixed transoms. Some windows at the side elevations are relatively small and are set in spandrels above blind panels. (While these may at first glance appear to have been enclosed with brick, archival photographs indicate they were built in this manner.) Splayed, three-course brick jack arches surmount the basement windows, which have been infilled with brick and concrete block. All of the windows at the third story have been boarded over.

The roof is covered with asphalt shingles. The original box gutters were replaced with hanging gutters, with part of the original copper left in place. Shed-roofed dormers project from the north and south roof slopes, and tall brick chimneys rise from the roof surface. Directly north of the school building stands a tall brick smokestack.

The building's interior plan is common to both the first and second floors. A short, broad flight of steps leads from the entry vestibule to a large common space, nearly square in form, which is surrounded on all sides by classrooms. Adjoining the north and south classrooms are narrow coat rooms, lined with hooks, with doorways connecting to the classrooms. Windows at the far walls have been converted to fire doors. At the second floor, modern double fire doors lead to the rear addition.

At the front and rear of the common space are open, two-run staircases. These feature square iron newels; open balustrades with lattice-like, geometrical metalwork; and oak treads.

Classrooms, which vary in configuration, surround the common area. At each corner of building are large rooms, nearly square, with two walls full of windows. Centered on the north and south sides of the building are narrow, rectangular rooms, some of which may originally have served as offices. All classrooms exhibit high ceilings and large windows. Most retain slate chalkboards, with wood moldings, on one or more walls. In the north rooms, washrooms have been installed along the far wall. The second-floor room retains a porcelain pedestal sink of the early 20^th century, while the first-floor room features modern fixtures.

The interior of the original school building features plaster walls and varnished tongue-and-groove oak floors. A few floorboards are missing in the second-floor common space, and some classroom floors have been covered with wall-to-wall carpeting. Most hallway and classroom ceilings are covered with corrugated metal; some metal ceilings are in sound condition, while others are badly rusted. Dropped ceilings have been installed in some rooms. Suspended fluorescent light fixtures are in use throughout the building. Cast-iron radiators provide heat. Minor water damage, in the form of fallen plaster and buckling of floors, is evident in some classrooms.

The school building retains a full complement of original oak millwork, with clear finish. Door and window surrounds are simple and flat, with mitered corners. The hallways and classrooms feature six-panel unglazed doors with flat, round, wooden knobs. Above the doors are large, square, single-light transoms. Some of the classroom entrances are framed by large, double-hung windows, which provide additional light.

The west staircase rises to the third floor, which appears to have been unoccupied for many years. Small, enclosed spaces that once housed classrooms are in evidence around the perimeter of the room, and the walls are lined with coat hooks. The central section of the room currently houses mechanical equipment. Open to the roof, it is unfinished, with roof boards visible.

The basement of the school building contains a series of interconnected rooms with painted brick walls, segmentally arched doorways and resilient-tile flooring. One of the basement rooms was utilized as classroom space. It features a pressed-tin ceiling and exposed stone walls. The small, rectangular windows are boarded.

Adjoining the school building on the east is a 1959 addition of restrained modern design, which faces east. It stands two stories high with a flat roof and features small, double-hung "ribbon" windows in cleanly cut openings. New metal sashes have been installed. The recessed main entrance contains three sets of double-leaf metal doors. The walls are laid in light-colored brick veneer. The rear (east) entrance of the original Franklin School building was obscured by the 1959 addition and is no longer visible.

The interior of the rear addition is characterized by utilitarian design and durable, fire-resistant modern surfaces. It features cinderblock walls, resilient tile floors and acoustical tile ceilings, as well as metal staircases with terrazzo treads. Classrooms are spacious, with low ceilings. One of the most distinctive is a former home economics room with 1950s-style kitchen sinks and wood cupboards arrayed around the perimeter. The addition also includes a combination auditorium/gymnasium with stage and center court, and locker rooms at the rear.