Elementary School Building in South Bend IN Closed in 2010

Marquette School, South Bend Indiana

Date added: October 30, 2024

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Indiana
Art Deco
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The area surrounding Marquette School began to grow during the early 1900s as South Bend continued to experience growth in its population and economy. The neighborhood, located on South Bend's northwest side, was connected to the downtown by Portage Avenue, east of Marquette School. As the population in the area grew, so did the need to construct a school building to provide for the education of children living in developing neighborhoods of the area.

In order to meet this demand the South Bend City Schools constructed a building termed as a "portable school" at the south end of the block bordered by College Avenue on its east side, Hamilton Street on its south side, and Brookfield Street on its west side. The building was a wocd frame, single story building that fronted College Avenue and had two wings that extended west from the back of the front portion of the building. Athletic fields were located west of the building, between it and Brookfield Street. According to South Bend City Directories, the school was first started in 1926. A newspaper account in 1935 stated that the building was "in a leaky condition" and had facilities for only a small percentage of the 600 students located in the school's district represented by the Marquette portable school. The description of the building at this time, and the term "portable" indicates that the building likely was never meant for long-term use by the city schools.

South Bend Schools justifiably used the poor condition of the building and a need for larger accommodations to advocate for construction assistance for a new building through the Federal Public Works Administration in 1935. Construction of the building began in June of 1936 immediately north of the portable school (within about forty feet). The new Marquette School was planned as an elementary school to accommodate 40-50 years of growth in the district. The building fronted Hamilton Street on its south side and once the portable building was razed it had a large front lawn suitable for a public building of its scale in the Marquette Park neighborhood. While the new building was under construction, the South Bend School Board voted to add a 700 seat auditorium to the building's west side. This was a feature originally included in the architect's plans, but was not approved in the original construction due to finances. The auditorium included a stage, balcony, dressing rooms, and the ability to show films. The building was approximately one-third complete at the time the auditorium was approved." The building had thirteen classrooms and also included a gymnasium. The total cost of the building was $262,760. The Federal government's share of the construction cost was 45 percent; South Bend Schools contributed the remaining amount without issuing bonds.

Marquette School was completed in January of 1937, and was placed in service at the opening of the second semester of the 1936-1937 school year. The building was dedicated on April 22^nd, 1937 with two programs. The evening program had an attendance of seven hundred people. Rev. Charles Tupper Baillie, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, provided a dedication message entitled "What Price Peace?" Fourth and fifth grade students sang a group of songs at the dedication. Mayor George Freyermuth made comments about the addition of the new building to the city's schools, Betty Blum, a sixth grade student, offered appreciation on behalf of the pupils of Marquette School. Rabbi Albert Shulman, pastor of Temple Beth-El, gave the invocation. An American flag was presented to the school during the afternoon program; it was followed by the singing of the National Anthem.

Two additions to the building were necessary to accommodate growth in the district. The first addition was created in 1948 on the east end of the north side of the building. The addition included four classrooms (two on each floor) with central hallways that connected to the original building's hallways on each level. The second addition was constructed between 1952 and 1953 on the north side of the 1948 addition and continued the central hallways located on each floor. The 1953 addition included eight classrooms, boys and girls' restrooms, another stairway at its north end, and one large classroom in its basement. This addition was created to alleviate overcrowding at the school and was put into service in September, 1953 for the 1953-1954 school year. The addition cost $296,789 to construct.

During the first year of the new school, Marquette and Kaley Schools of South Bend shared a principal's position. The principal was Miss Edythe Brown. South Bend School Superintendent Frank Allen appointed Miss Margaret Alexander to the position of Marquette's first principal in April, 1937 for the following 1937-1938 school year. Alexander had been an instructor at the Marquette School and with the South Bend Schools for over fourteen years when she was appointed principal. Alexander had a master's degree from the University of Iowa and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Notre Dame. She served as principal of Marquette School until her retirement in 1961. At the time of her retirement she had spent thirty-nine of her forty-four years of teaching and administration in South Bend Schools.

A short time after the new school had opened the United States was engaged in World War II. In the large built-in display case in the main corridor of the building photographs of Marquette School's alumni serving in the war were displayed with small flags from the countries in which they were stationed. Seventy-five names of servicemen were listed and thirty-five portraits were displayed in the case in 1943. A school faculty member, Miss Julia Moss, assembled the display. The following year pupils of Marquette School conducted a school pageant that featured folk music, costumes, and customs from around the world that included Norwegian skits and a Chinese wedding. The 10^th anniversary of the school was marked with a program in 1947. The Parent-Teacher Association coordinated the anniversary program that included speeches by those who had participated in the dedication of the building in 1937. A former student, Fred Helman, and a student enrolled in 1947, Ival Newhard, represented alumni and students of Marquette at the program. During the fall of 1948 a letter from a needy Kentucky family reached the school; it stated that if the children would send their outgrown clothes to the family, they would send Christmas greens in time to decorate for the holiday. The 5^th Grade students sent four large boxes of clothes to the family and they sent two large boxes filled with holly, mistletoe, and evergreen boughs to the school. Included in the box were letters of appreciation from the children of the Kentucky family the students had assisted and befriended.

The new Marquette School also spurred home construction in the surrounding neighborhood, An aerial photograph from 1936 shows only three homes fronting the streets that surround the school. A photograph that shows the construction of the addition to the building in 1953 also shows the infill of housing in the surrounding neighborhood. The neighborhood school and its athletic fields provided a sense of community and belonging for the children of the area, and a place of recreation for the neighborhood. Verna Kurz, who was employed at Marquette and whose children attended the school, moved to the Marquette neighborhood in 1955. At that time she and her husband had two small children and were expecting their third child. She recalled that Marquette School was the center of activity in their neighborhood and that all the children walked to school.

Kurz also remembered that her children played in the "wonderful big schoolyard" at Marquette. She recalled that the kindergarten classroom had a life-size house with chairs, tables, and other furniture where the children were taught a basic structure of sociability that included how to take turns and how to get along with each other. The Parent-Teacher Association held an annual bazaar where mothers would bring different items to sell including baked goods and knitted items. During that event classrooms were decorated according to the games that were hosted in the room. Fathers helped by operating the "fish ponds" or cakewalk. There was also an annual science fair. Kurz recalled the singing of the National Anthem at home basketball games held in the gym and a Christmas Sing held around a decorated Christmas tree in the building each year. Kurz worked in the food service department and as a teachers' aide in the building during the 1950s-1970s.

By 1963 the enrollment of Marquette Elementary School reached 823 students with twenty-nine classrooms in use. Enrollment started to decline at the building and by 1996 there were only 353 students enrolled. That number continued to decline and in 2007 enrollment had fallen to 319 students. A decision was made by South Bend City Schools to replace Marquette School with a new elementary school at the north end of the block the Marquette School occupies. That building was constructed between 2009-2010; it was put into service in 2010. The old Marquette School is currently vacant, but is in excellent condition.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was formed in 1935 to continue work funded through the Civilian Works Administration. At the height of the New Deal programs there were 59 camps in Indiana with 12,800 enrollees. The average salary for an Indiana enrollee in 1939 was $1,651 a year. In 1935 Indiana was second in the nation with the number of enrollees in federal aid projects, below the New York City district and above Pennsylvania (a population three times that of Indiana at that time). 61,616 Hoosiers were employed with WPA jobs in 1935. The large force of Hoosiers employed under the federal aid project proved particularly beneficial when flooding ravaged southern Indiana in 1937; the army of men was dispatched for flood relief and rehabilitation work. Under the WPA St. Joseph County reached a peak number of 7,200 jobs during the summer of 1936.

Between the CWA, WPA and PWA several buildings and infrastructure improvements were made in St. Joseph County with construction lasting into the 1940s. In South Bend John Adams High School at 808 S. Twyckenham (1940, extant) and Marquette School were the only two new school buildings funded with PWA dollars. In the same year Marquette was constructed additions to Jefferson and John F. Nuner Schools were created; these projects also used PWA funds. Each project totaled over $52,000 for construction. Additions were also made to Benjamin Harrison and James Madison Schools using WPA funds. Ten park or landscaping projects were also funded through the WPA in South Bend, these included clubhouses, shelters, and the construction of the lion house at Potawatomi Zoo.

The design contract for Marquette School was awarded to the local South Bend architectural firm of E. R. Austin, N. R. Shambleau, and G. T. Nethercutt. Their firm designed other large public buildings in the city including James Madison Elementary and the Tower Building in downtown South Bend. A few styles were frequently chosen for large public school buildings during the period in which Marquette School was constructed. Architects frequently turned to classical and colonial interpretations for large-scale neighborhood schools. Another common applied style for schools of this era was the Art Deco style, the dominant style selected for Marquette School. The building has some Art Moderne features, such as its mostly flat wall surfaces and stone banding, while its windows are more inspired by the Revival styles popular during the period the building was constructed.

Building Description

The Marquette School has a presence in its surrounding neighborhood on a lot clearly set aside for a public building by its deep front lawn and landscaping. Concrete sidewalks line the streets on the east, west, and south sides of the site. Sidewalks lead from the perimeter streets' sidewalks to the building's entrances and a sidewalk shaped as a large half-circle connects the two front entrances in the front lawn. Inside the half-circle is a metal flagpole (c. 1937) with a cast metal base. The base is bell-shaped with fluting and a Greek key pattern above the fluted portion of the bell. Mature shade trees, some of which appear to date to the period of construction, are located in the front lawn. Less mature trees line College Street on the east side of the building. Mature shrubbery is located at the corners and on each side of entrances of the building. The area behind the building is paved.

The Marquette School's primary facades are its front (Hamilton Street or south facade) and College Avenue (east) facade. The original 1936 building fronts Hamilton Street and is constructed in a U-shape. The building evolved into an L-shaped plan when a small addition was constructed in 1948 and a larger addition was constructed in 1953 off the northeast corner of the original building on College Avenue. The additions are constructed in the same style and with the same details as the original building. The building has a smooth cut limestone foundation. Its walls are constructed with a blend of red and brown brick laid in an English bond with stone banding. A stone sill course is located on the first level; two stone belt courses form the top of the second level and base of the parapet wall. Limestone relief sculptures are located above the entrances of the building. The building has wood windows, mostly in a 6/9 configuration. The windows are frequently grouped together with limestone trim. Stone coping caps the tops of the walls. The building's roof is flat and is covered with a layer of asphalt with gravel embedded in the top of the asphalt.

The front facade of the building (south/Hamilton Street) is symmetrically arranged into five bays. The center bay is classroom and administrative office space that is divided into three sections by wide brick pilasters. Between the pilasters is a group of six 6/9 windows on each level. MARQUETTE SCHOOL is spelled out in cast metal letters across the top of this center section of the front facade. Framing the outside edges of the center section the next bays are one-story vestibules. The vestibules each have four granite steps that lead to an entrance. A pair of bronze-colored aluminum and glass doors is located in each entrance; these are modern replacements. Wide brick pilasters frame a wide stone surround around each entrance. Reliefs of seated figures are located in squares carved into each upper corner of the stone surrounds. Four stone bands are located near the top of the vestibule walls. One is near the height of the bottom of the stone surround, another goes across the top of the stone surround, the third forms a cap fo the brick pilasters, and the fourth is halfway between the third and the stone cap on top of the parapet. Centered at the top of the front wall of the vestibule is a triangular brick wall, or pediment. It has a stone belt course at its base. Three rows of brick are laid vertically between the top of the triangular wall and the top of the belt course at the top of the pilasters. These bricks are angled so that their corners form ribs on the wall. The vestibule walls facing toward the center of the building (west wall of the east vestibule and east wall of the west vestibule) have an art glass window with a stone surround toward their inside corner with the main building. The art glass window is composed of frosted glass panes divided by metal mullions in triangular and octagonal patterns. The windows have wood sashes. Centered above the vestibule on the main wall of the front facade are paired 6/9 windows. Narrow brick pilasters form the outside edges of these pairs of windows, to the outside of the center section of the front facade.

The outside corner bays of the front facade at one time resembled two-story towers. The tops of these corner bays were once taller and resembled the entry vestibules' tops; the brick and stone trim was removed to the height of the adjoining parapet walls. It is unclear when or why the tops of corner bays were removed; however it appears it may have been part of a roof renovation project since the coping and flashing appear consistent around the entire parapet of the building. Wide brick pilasters form the outside edge of their front walls. The outside corners of the pilasters are cut away by the absence of a vertical row of brick on the first level. The cut away wall is capped by stone trim on the first floor. The cut away wall on the second floor and parapet is composed of two rows of bricks. The bricks are angled so that their corners form ribs on the building. The inside edges of the pilasters step inward toward a recessed narrow center bay. The first level of the bay has three narrow 4/6 windows; the windows are separated by narrow sections of brick and the only stone trim around these windows are their stone sills. The second level has one large window centered in the bay; it is divided into 30 panes of glass by wood mullions. The window has stone trim that frames it and a tall stone block above it. The stone block has a stone relief carved into the shape of an octagon with additional carvings inside the octagon that include a crown motif.

The College Avenue east facade of the building is composed of three sections: the original 1936 building at its south end, a narrow 1948 addition, and the 1953 addition at its north end. The original portion of the building has the east wall of the corner bay from the front facade at its south end. The east facade of the corner bay matches the south facade, except that a marquis motif is carved into the octagonal relief carving above the second level window. North of the corner bay wall is a grouping of four 6/9 windows on the first and second levels. A wide brick pilaster is north of these windows and to its north side is a grouping of six 6/9 windows on the first and second levels. An entrance with four granite steps is located north of the groupings of six windows. The entrance has a pair of bronze-colored aluminum and glass doors that are modern replacements. Brick pilasters are located on each side of the entrance and a wide stone surround frames the entrance. The stone surround has eight stone corbels over the entryway to visually support a tall stone section of wall; it has a large shell motif carved into it. Above the stone section of wall is a two-story window divided into forty panes of glass by wood mullions. The window has stone trim and a tall stone block above it. The stone block has relief carvings in the shape of an octagon with additional carvings inside the octagon that include a crown motif. North of the entrance are three bays of windows divided by wide brick pilasters, the northernmost bay being the 1948 addition. Each bay has a grouping of six 6/9 windows on the first and second levels.

North of the 1948 addition is the 1953 addition to the building which is symmetrically arranged the south end (at the north end of the 1948 addition) and the north end have a wall that forms a corner bay, though the top of the wall is equal to the adjacent walls. The corner bay has wide brick pilasters that step inward toward a center bay. The center bay has a 6/6 window centered in its first level and a 6/9 window centered in its second level. The windows have stone sills, but are not framed with stone trim. At the center of the 1953 addition is a narrow wall that forms a projecting bay, though the top of the bay wall is equal to the adjacent walls. A small, narrow 1/1 window is located in the first level of the bay; it has a wide stone sill. The stone sill course on the 1953 addition is located on the corner bay walls only. Between the corner bay and the projecting bay are two groupings of four 6/12 windows on the first level. The groups are framed with stone trim. The second level has two groupings of four 6/9 windows; these groups are also framed with stone trim.

The most prominent section of the west facade is the west wall of the auditorium, which is part of the original building. The south end of the west facade is the west side of the west corner bay from the front facade.

The west wall of the corner bay has an entrance on its first level. The entrance has a pair of steel doors. The corner bay wall is detailed similarly to its front wall with brick pilasters on each side of the entrance. The pilasters step inward toward a center bay in which the entry is located on the first level. The entry has a wide stone surround. The stone surround has eight stone corbels over the entry way to visually support a tall stone section of wall. This stone section has a relief carving of a figure holding two masks depicting comedy and tragedy. Above the stone section of wall is a tall window divided into twenty-five panes of glass by wood mullions. The window has stone trim and a tall stone block above it. The stone block has a stone relief carved into the shape of an octagon with additional carvings inside the octagon that include a fleur de lis motif.

A short portion of the south wall of the auditorium is visible on the exterior of the building. The wall has a large oculus window divided into nine panes of glass by wood mullions on its second level. The window has a stone surround. The west wall of the auditorium has three bays divided by brick pilasters. Wide brick pilasters form the outside edges of the outside bays. The parapet of this center section with the three bays of windows does not have stone belt courses continue from the parapets of the pilasters or the remainder of the building. Each bay has a row of four windows on the first and second levels, and at a mid-level between the first and second levels. A stone sill course forms the sills for the first level windows. The first level windows are wood with a single, narrow piece of glass. The upper two rows of windows are covered with plywood. Narrow brick pilasters are located between the windows; these pilasters and those separating the bays continue to the parapet. A pair of steel entry doors is located in the center of the northernmost bay; the middle two windows step up over the top of the entry doors. The north wall of the auditorium has no windows or doors.

A portion of the remaining west facade includes the west wall of the gymnasium which is tucked into the original building and mostly covered. A row of tall 9/9 windows with a transom divided into nine panes of glass is on the upper portion of the west wall of the gymnasium. A massive and tall brick chimney is located near the north end of the gymnasium. North of the chimney is a pair of 6/9 windows on the first level and three 6/9 windows grouped together on the second level. The remainder of the west facade steps back to the east. North of the gymnasium is a pair of steel doors accessed by concrete steps. This leads to a stairwell. A pair of 6/9 windows is located at the mid-level of the stairwell, above the doors. This stairwell is part of the original building. North of the stairwell is a group of six 6/9 windows on the first and second levels of the 1948 addition to the building.

North of the 1948 addition the west wall steps out where the 1953 addition joins the 1948 addition. The south end of the 1953 addition has two entrances near its center. The entrances once accessed the boys and girls restrooms but have now been filled in with brick. The entrances are divided by a brick wall on a concrete stoop; the stoop is covered by a flat, metal roof. A window filled with glass blocks is located on each side of the restroom entrances on the first and second levels. A glass awning window is located near the center of the glass blocks. The windows have stone sills. The remainder of the west wall of the 1953 addition is divided into four bays of windows on the first and second levels. The bays have groups of four 6/9 windows set on stone sills. The bays are divided by sections of wall; the section between the two middle bays is wider than the other wall sections. Basement windows are also located in the west wall of the 1953 addition. The windows have stone sills set at ground level and are covered by protective glass and fencing. A pair of windows is located below each group of windows on the first level.

The north facade of the building is primarily the north wall of the 1953 addition. The wall has an entry centered on its first level. The entry is accessed by concrete steps and a stoop. The stoop has a brick wall on its west side with a circular opening near its top. The stoop is covered by a flat, metal roof. An opening below the stoop, on its west side, provides access to a basement door. The first level entrance has a pair of steel doors. The only windows on the north wall are a pair of windows divided into six panes of glass by wood mullions. A transom divided into two panes of glass is located above each window. These are centered high on the second level and have a stone sill.

The Marquette School's plan is generally described as a double-loaded corridor plan. The original building had a U-shaped plan, but additions on the northeast corner of the building made the building's plan L-shaped. This pattern is repeated on the first and second floors, and on the west and north sides of the hallway in the basement. The remaining area of the basement level is unexcavated. Entrances to primary rooms off the central hallways are recessed into the hallway walls. The inside corner of the L has a two-story gymnasium and the end of the short leg of the L (west end) has a two-story auditorium. There are three stairways in the original 1936 building. One stairway is opposite from the middle of the gymnasium's east wall, one stairway is located at the north end of the original building's north wall, north of the gymnasium, and one stairway is located on the east wall of the auditorium. A fourth stairway is located at the northeast corner of the building's long leg, at the north end of the 1953 addition.

Boys and girls restrooms are located on the first and second floors between the gymnasium and auditorium, on the north side of the central hallway. Boys and girls restrooms are also located at the south end of the 1953 addition to the building, on the west side of the central hallway on the first and second floors. The secretary and principal's offices are located off the east vestibule, southwest of the central hallways' intersection on the first floor. The library is located on the second floor of the east corner bay on the front of the building. The art room is located west of the library, on the south side of the central hallway on the front of the building. A kitchen is located on the first floor of the front facade's west corner bay. The building's utility area and boiler room are located below the gymnasium. The remaining spaces are primarily classrooms, storage rooms, or teachers' work rooms.

The interior of Marquette School has a significant number of extant features and finishes characteristic of a school constructed during the 1930s. The floors throughout the first floor and second floor hallways are covered with tiles in shades of green, in some locations in a checkerboard pattern and laid diagonally with the walls. The floors of the stairways and their landings have terrazzo in a mossy green and tan color. The floors throughout the rest of the building have a border and cove base composed of terrazzo in either a mossy green or tan color. Many of the classroom floors are covered with carpeting. The art room floor and the gymnasium floor are composed of maple boards.

The interior walls of the original building's first floor have a wainscot composed of a sand-colored brick in most of the classrooms, the hallways, and the gymnasium. The wainscot is about five feet tall except in the gymnasium and vestibules where it is approximately seven feet tall; the top course of the wainscot is composed of brick rowlocks. The remaining walls, or portions of walls not covered with brick wainscot, are covered with plaster except in the gymnasium where the interior walls above the wainscot are painted brick. Walls in the bathrooms of the 1953 addition are composed of tan colored glazed ceramic tiles. Ceilings throughout the building have mostly been lowered with a suspended ceiling grid that supports acoustic tiles. A few locations have plaster or drywall ceilings including the art room, teachers' lounge, the gymnasium and portions of the hallways. The boiler room and basement have mostly formed concrete walls.

The auditorium, which was added to the project during construction of the original building, has a ramp on the first floor and a balcony for seating on its second floor at its south end. The north wall of the auditorium has a raised stage with a slightly curved floor and steps on each side of the stage floor. The stage has heavy gold and blue draperies and the walls on each side and above the stage opening angle inward to the stage. The east and west walls of the auditorium have wide, fluted pilasters with stylized fluted capitals. The central hallways have built-in wood display cases and display boards framed by brick rowlocks near the original building's vestibules. A large bronze building plaque is also located in the hallway. The stairways have simple balustrades composed of flat thick metal bars and wood handrails installed on a low wall covered with terrazzo. One classroom has a thick terrazzo counter with a sink supported by short sections of brick walls. The art room has built-in wood cabinets, shelves, and drawers in its end wall. The library also has built-in book shelves, recessed into the walls and framed with narrow oak trim. Long rows of metal lockers are also built into the hallway walls. Metal radiators for the building's hot water heat system are located throughout the building; in some locations decorative metal grilles cover the radiators where they are recessed into the wall.

The classroom and office doors in the building are mostly oak with a window divided into twelve panes of glass by wood mullions. Storage room, bathroom, and closet doors are also oak, but have no windows. The casings around windows and doors are also composed of oak moldings. Doors have a piece of quarter round trim nearest the jamb, followed by a flat oak board that creates the face of the casing, and a piece of cove molding that creates a perimeter piece of trim around the flat board. Most windows have pale rose-colored granite sills and a flat piece of oak trim that creates the outside face of the casings.

The building is constructed with a blend of poured or formed concrete and a steel frame. The steel frame is evident from an aerial photograph taken of the building during construction, c. 1936. Poured and formed concrete walls and pan-formed concrete floors are evident in the building's basement areas.