This School Building in Maine served Grades 1-9 until 2007

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The Emery School building was erected in 1912 as a "union" school, replacing four nearby public grammar schools that were consolidated into a single building in an effort to more efficiently educate a rapidly growing population of school-age residents.

Little is known about the earliest education of children in Biddeford except that the first mention in town records of a schoolmaster occurred in 1731. In the mid-eighteenth century, the town was required by state law to maintain a grammar school if there were greater than 100 resident families, as was the case in Biddeford. By 1770 there were four schools serving Biddeford, with sessions likely held in private homes. The first schoolhouse in Biddeford was erected at the town center near the head of Emery Street (formerly Schoolhouse Lane). The exact date of construction is not known, but there is documentation that a schoolhouse had been built by 1796 and offered 12-week sessions. There were four additional schools operated in private homes for 10-week sessions. The first public high school in Biddeford, the Washington Street School, was built in 1848 at the corner of Washington and Jefferson Streets, to provide continuing education after completion of the elementary grades, which ended at ninth grade or age 15. With the rapid growth in Biddeford's population after 1850 came an equally rapid expansion of the school system and infrastructure. As was typical in the more urban communities, several relatively small schools were constructed throughout the downtown neighborhoods, conveniently located so that students could easily walk to and from school. The Wentworth Street School was constructed in 1878, followed by the Bradbury Street and Birch Street schools in 1880. The original high school building was replaced in 1889 by a large brick structure on Alfred Street and the Washington Street building was subsequently used as a grammar school. By 1905 there were roughly 5,800 schoolchildren among Biddeford's population of approximately 20,000 residents, and public schools included one high school, and seven elementary schools. Most of the elementary schools held both primary (first through fourth grades) and grammar (fifth through ninth grades) school classes. One school (Wentworth St. School) had only primary grade classes, while another (Summer St. School) was a grammar school only. Kindergarten classes were held at one of the elementary schools (Birch St. School). For the most part, these schools in downtown Biddeford were small wood or brick buildings (some brick) typically holding 3 or four classrooms. Biddeford also operated 12 public rural schools in the more remote sections of town. These were un-graded schools, typically with one teacher instructing all ages of local children. In addition, there were four parochial schools in the city (the earliest started in 1875), which were largely attended by French Canadian residents. By 1912, the year construction began on the Emery School, Biddeford students had access to the high school, nine schools serving the elementary grades in the downtown neighborhoods kindergarten (at Birch Street School), and eleven rural schools. The Emery School replaced four of the small downtown schools.

Federal census data from the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries indicates that most of the local children attended classes through elementary school and then went to work in the mills, typically at the age of 15. Beginning in 1875 state law made it compulsory for children between ages 7 and 14 to attend school. Compulsory attendance was also mandated for children up to 16 years of age "who cannot read at sight or write legibly simple sentences in the English language" ("Laws of Maine" 1915, 23). In addition to legislation requiring children to attend school, by the early 20^th Century there was growing concern nationwide for the health and well-being of school-age children. In Maine, as in other states, this concern led to the enactment of several laws to protect children, among them requirements for the appointment of a school physician, disinfecting of school buildings, providing toilets, vaccinating for smallpox, and testing of drinking water. There were further mandates relating to safety, including requiring licensed persons to operate steam heat systems, providing proper exits from schools, and fingerprinting pupils for identification in case of disaster. The response to these concerns was the emergence of a new "modern" school type that would be adopted nationally.

At the same time that the new modern school type was emerging, there was a growing trend across the country toward consolidation of smaller schools into larger buildings. The smaller schools were found to be expensive, inefficient, offered limited curriculum, and were wasteful of personnel at a time when qualified teachers were in demand. Although local school districts in the state had been abolished in 1893, transferring management of schools from district agents to the town municipalities and thereby creating more consistent education within a community, there continued to be disparities in the quality of education from one school to the next within many towns, including Biddeford. In many locations, like Biddeford, a single grade was being taught at multiple schools, in some cases to small numbers of children. To make matters worse, classes of the same grade in different schools were not receiving the same curriculum and pupils were showing varying levels of proficiency, as was reported by the Biddeford Superintendent of Schools in his annual report of 1912 (page 21). The Superintendent further noted that proper discipline was lacking in the schools as a result of there being several schools operating in a single building (kindergarten, primary, and grammar schools) and each teacher acting as principal. In the years that followed abolition of the school districts, the state and towns worked to provide transportation for students, which would in turn make consolidation of schools more viable. A Maine State School Fund Act in 1921 further encouraged the consolidation of schools by providing state funds to assist towns in the process.

By 1910 the school Superintendent in Biddeford had begun to promote consolidation of four schools in the downtown area located in close proximity to one another in the area east of Alfred Street (Summer Street School, Foss Street School, Sullivan Street School, and Pool Street School). The Superintendent's annual report of 1910/11 refers to a "new union school, made possible where the different schools on the easterly side of Alfred St. would be housed in one building." These four older schools were of particular concern to the Superintendent with regard to health conditions. The 1912 Superintendent's annual report noted that the "conditions of heating and ventilation have been especially bad for years in the older buildings on the easterly side of Alfred St." and that it was "little wonder that these schools have been successful disease incubators". The Superintendent further reported that "this fact was the main consideration urged for the new school building". Thus in 1912 plans were underway for the new "union" school, which was to serve as the sole primary/grammar school for residents living in the downtown area east of Alfred Street.

The Emery School was constructed on the site of the old Summer Street School, a wood-frame Queen Anne-style building that was removed to make way for the new structure. The new school was named for Thomas H. Emery, a beloved Biddeford teacher from 1865 to 1890. The Emery School was constructed for $60,000 by local contractor Fred L. Emmons. The building could accommodate up to 440 students in 11 classrooms, although the initial enrollment was 380 students. The Emery School was built to house both primary and grammar school classes (grades 1 through 9). L. N. Williams, who had been Principal at the Summer Street School, took up that same position at the new Emery School. The nine other teachers employed at the new school had also previously taught in the local schools (all but one came from the four schools that had been closed when the Emery School was built).

The school curriculum taught in Biddeford in the early years of the 20^th Century was typical of what might be found in schools of that era. The Annual Report of the Superintendent of Public Schools for the 1904-1905 school year lists the following classes as being taught in a typical grammar school term: reading, spelling, arithmetic, history, language, physiology, drawing, writing, physical culture, and music. The new school building type that emerged nationwide around 1910 also incorporated changes to accommodate a more specialized curriculum, as promoted by educational reformers of the early 20^th Century. The compulsory education laws of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries resulted in large numbers of pupils who would likely enter the workforce directly after elementary school and would thus benefit most from vocational or commercial training. The growth in manufacturing created a particular need for skilled workers in industrial centers like Biddeford. Dr. Payson Smith, the Maine Superintendent of Education from 1907 to 1917, was a strong advocate of a more specialized curriculum that included a greater emphasis on vocational training. He felt that too great an emphasis was placed on college preparatory courses when 90% of Maine students ultimately worked in agriculture and other trades. Maine state laws provided incentives for towns to include specialized training in their curriculums. Any elementary school that offered instruction in manual training could receive reimbursement of a portion of the teacher's salary from the state. Similar financial incentives were offered to high schools that provided classes in agriculture, mechanical arts, or domestic science. Commercial classes in bookkeeping, typing, and stenography were gradually introduced into curriculums as well. Between 1910 and 1912 commercial classes were introduced at the Washington Street elementary school in Biddeford.

The design of the Emery School strictly followed the state guidelines for new schools and was well received by the state reviewers. The plans were said to have been endorsed by the office of the State Superintendent of Schools "as the best set of plans that has yet come to the attention of the department" and it was the first time a set of plans was "unhesitatingly approved" the State Board of Health ("Annual Report", 1912, 19-20). The basement level of the Emery School included a large manual training room, recreation rooms, a mechanical room, and bathrooms. The first floor had six classrooms surrounding a wide corridor, the principal's office and a teacher's lounge. The second floor was designed with five classrooms and a large assembly hall that could seat up to 300 people. The assembly hall also served as a gathering place for local residents. The Biddeford Daily Journal reported:

Building Design

Educational reformers and commissions in the early 20^th Century, particularly in states where educational legislation had recently been passed, were pushing for improvements to school buildings as the basis for establishing successful school practices. Countless books, articles, pamphlets, and studies were released, by both the architectural and educational communities, setting forth principles and standards by which new schools should be constructed, taking into consideration changes in health concerns, curriculum and building technology. A report on Minneapolis public schools notes that "designers responded with spacious, well-lighted buildings furnished with a variety of new equipment and specially programmed rooms. Plans were based on I, U, and H shapes, and featured large windows, well-ventilated and heated spaces, and closely studied and carefully planned interior arrangements that provided for hygiene, fireproofing, and student safety." This new building type was utilized almost universally in this country for new school construction from about 1910 into the 1930s. Among the laws implemented by the state of Maine was a requirement that all plans and specifications for public school buildings be approved by the state Superintendent of Schools and the state Board of Health. To assist communities in efforts to bring school buildings up to more healthful and safe standards, the state Educational Department published guidelines for the improvement of existing schools and grounds as well as for construction of new buildings. In 1904 the State of Maine Educational Department published a pamphlet entitled Improvement of School Buildings and Grounds in which they made detailed recommendations for all aspects of new school design and construction, from selecting the site to appropriate materials for floors and blackboards. The recommendations made in the Maine publication were consistent with those found in the many reports relating to educational reform released nationwide. Among the recommendations of the Maine Educational Department that most strongly influenced architectural design were the following:

The new Emery School is an excellent example of this new school building type. It was designed by the well-known Portland architectural firm of Miller & Mayo. This firm were highly regarded for their design of buildings throughout the state; particularly schools, which included the Portland High School (1918), Freeport High School (1917), and Lincoln School in South Portland (1926). William R. Miller (1866-1929) and Raymond J. Mayo (1878-1966) began their partnership in 1907, by which time Miller had already been practicing for 10 years and had become well-known throughout the state for the design of public buildings. Miller & Mayo began their partnership in Lewiston, where Miller had previously retained an office, but within a year they relocated to Portland. The firm showed great diversity in their commissions, from the fanciful castle-like residence of Amos Gerald in Fairfield, Maine in 1909 to the heavily ornamented Maine Supply Company building in Lewiston (1910/11). The firm also designed a number of apartment buildings, most notably the Stateway Apartments (1913/14) and Marlborough Apartments (1914) in Portland. Miller & Mayo received numerous commissions for school buildings throughout Maine. The Emery School is typical of Miller & Mayo school commissions, not only in its basic form, but in the use of Colonial Revival style detailing, which was utilized in many of their buildings. Schools designed by Miller & Mayo in the smaller more rural communities tended to be smaller in scale and were often wood rather than masonry buildings, such as the Freeport High School and Cottage Farm School in Cape Elizabeth. Like the Emery School, these two schools feature entrances in the end bays of the facade, a feature found in several Miller & Mayo's designs. The firm's smaller schools were generally rectangular in plan and often had shallow hip roofs but, like their larger counterparts, were designed following the state guidelines to provide a healthful environment for students. Miller & Mayo schools in the more urban communities serving larger populations, like Portland, Biddeford, and South Portland, tended to be larger and constructed of brick. Plans of the larger buildings were more complex; U-shaped or W-shaped. One consistent theme among most the schools designed by Miler & Mayo is the use of Colonial Revival style detailing, which is generally subdued and often stylized. A notable exception is the Portland High School, which features a central portico with Classical Revival ornamentation.

Biddeford History

The earliest settlement in what is today Biddeford occurred around 1616 on the tip of a narrow peninsula at the mouth of the Saco River, several miles southeast of the current downtown. This small coastal village, known as Winter Harbor (Biddeford Pool today) formed what is said to have been among the earliest permanent settlements in Maine. Biddeford was incorporated as a town in 1718, at which time the municipality included the current city of Saco. Saco was set off as an independent town, called Pepperellborough, in 1762. The name was changed to Saco in 1805 and it became a city in 1867. Biddeford's status was changed to that of a city in 1855.

The Saco River, which separates the towns of Biddeford and Saco, includes falls of about 40 feet that drop in two stages, only about 100 feet apart. The industrial value of these falls, located approximately four miles from Biddeford Pool, was recognized very early on and by the 18^th century, the focus of development had shifted from Biddeford Pool to the area known as the Falls. Industrial development in Biddeford, particularly cotton manufacturing fueled growth and expansion of the city in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The population of Biddeford soared from 2,874 in 1840 to 6,095 in 1850 and reached roughly 9,000 by 1856. The number of local residents employed at the nearby Saco Water Power Company, Laconia Mill, Pepperell and York mills reached roughly 6,000 at its peak around 1900. In 1851 86% of the workers were Maine natives (20% of those from Biddeford), most of the remainder were from Massachusetts and New Hampshire. By 1891 only about 27% of the workforce was made up of New Englanders. At the same time the number of French Canadians working in the mills had increased to approximately 55%. The remainder of the workforce in 1891 was made up of smaller numbers of Irish and English operatives. Biddeford's population continued to climb and by 1910 Biddeford was the fourth largest city in Maine. By 1905 the number of residents had reached roughly 20,000.

Census records for the neighborhood served by the Emery School indicate that the students were largely children of French Canadian parents who immigrated to this country between 1880 and 1910. While the vast majority of local residents were Canadian-born, there were also significant numbers of immigrants from England, Ireland, and Russia. Smaller numbers of residents were from the New England states, particularly Maine. Census data reveals that most of the school-age children were a mix of English and French-speaking and were born in either Canada or Maine. Most of the adult males in the area were employed in the nearby Pepperell Cotton mills. The children generally came from large families, an average of about six children per household. Most of the local children attended classes through grammar school and then went to work in the mills, typically at the age of 15. Many of the French Canadian children also attended the four parochial schools in Biddeford. In fact, enrollment in the parochial schools far exceeded that of the public schools in the early twentieth century; by 1940 there were approximately 1,750 students attending Biddeford public schools and over 2,800 in the parochial schools. St. Andre School was located just north of the Emery School, near the intersection of Sullivan and Bacon Streets, while St. Josephs was established at the corner of Alfred and Birch Streets, west of the Emery School.

In addition to the Emery School and the High School, four of the city's nineteenth and early twentieth-century schools remained in use through the 1930s while others were consolidated. By 1950 the city had five public schools operating, including the Emery School. In the 1960s the city began an overhaul of their school facilities that included consolidating the smaller schools into new more modern buildings. A new high School was built in 1961, followed by a school for all kindergarten classes (J.F.K. Memorial School - 1965) and a vocational school, the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology (1969). Today students in Grades 1-3 attend the Biddeford Primary School (established 1990), Biddeford Intermediate School (created for grades four and five in 1989), and Biddeford Middle School for grades six through eight (2006). The Emery School served the public school system in Biddeford into the 1990s. Beginning in 1993 the building was occupied by the St. Louis Child Development Center (run by Catholic Charities of Maine), which remained until 2007. Since that time the school building has been vacant. The city has assigned the school property to a private developer who intends to undertake a Certified Rehabilitation project.

Building Description

The former Emery School is a Georgian Revival style, two-story, red brick building located a few blocks south of Biddeford's downtown commercial district. The school is surrounded by a residential neighborhood dominated by multi-family dwellings from the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Constructed in 1912/1913, and designed by the architectural firm of Miller & Mayo, this elementary school sits on a lot of approximately one acre that is framed on three sides by Hill, Birch, and Summer Streets. The rear lot line of the school borders a residential property. The Emery School building stands on a relatively flat site, most of which is paved. Curb cuts on Summer, Birch, and Hill Streets allow for vehicular access to a large paved parking area on the southwest side of the building. The grade to the rear (northeast) of building is built up slightly where a paved play area was constructed. A few mature trees dot the perimeter of the property, which is circumscribed by chain-link fencing.

The Emery School is essentially rectangular in plan (nine bays wide and six bays deep) and sits on a low concrete foundation. At each elevation, the first floor is distinguished by rusticated brick coursing, while the upper levels have brick quoins. The building is trimmed with a combination of granite and cast-stone elements, the granite being located where it is most visible from the public sidewalk. The cast stone is an excellent imitation of the granite and in some cases, is difficult to distinguish from the natural stone. Two prominent belt courses unify all four elevations. Window openings were partially blocked with opaque panels and fitted with small aluminum awning sash around 1980; those at the basement of the rear elevation were infilled with brick. The only original sash remaining is a single small window at the basement level of the west elevation; the opening is blocked with brick from the exterior but the sash remains in place and is visible on the interior. The school rises two stories to a large unfinished attic space with fenestration on the side elevations. The building is enclosed by a shallow hip roof, from which project five slender brick chimneys. The roof is finished with asphalt shingles over the slopes and rubber roofing on the flat plain. The roofline is defined by a prominent pressed metal cornice with brackets accentuating the entry bays of the facade (southwest elevation).

The symmetrical facade is highly ornamented with granite and cast stone elements and features two principal entries, each located at the base of a slightly projecting pavilion. The pavilions are framed by rusticated brick pilasters supporting a full entablature with a stepped pediment. The top of each pilaster is decorated by a cast stone cartouche. Both entries are framed by cast stone surrounds with paneled pilasters rising to an entablature with dentils and modillions supported by scroll brackets. Access to each of the main entries is by means of a low stoop with granite treads and concrete cheek walls. The entries are recessed from the face of the building and each holds modern aluminum double doors installed in the 1970s. Each entry is now blocked off with chain link fencing. Plywood panels were set in the location of the original transoms. The facade is divided into seven window bays (with the pavilions serving as the end bays) and each window opening holds a pair of sash. Sash at the second floor are set beneath a wide transom, now obscured with plywood coverings. One sash at the basement was replaced by a modern flush metal door. Windows at the first floor have rusticated splayed brick heads and cast stone sills, while those at the upper level have double-height segmental arched openings with keystones and springers; each window is topped by a flat hood mold.

Side elevations are identical, having bands of windows interrupted by brick pilasters. There are three floors of windows at the side elevations, the result of having fenestration at the attic level. The central bay features a narrow window opening at each floor (the basement window at the center of both the east and west elevations is infilled with brick). The central basement window at both side elevations is flanked by eight evenly-spaced window openings, all covered by plywood. Windows flanking the central bay at the three upper floors are arranged with a wide tripartite window set between two standard window openings. The central bay, with small narrow windows, is flanked by broad pilasters rising to simple stepped capitals. The remaining bays are defined by slender pilasters topped by a sheet metal capital in a stylized triglyph motif. A series of raised brick panels under the attic windows separate the attic level from the second floor.

The symmetrical rear elevation consists of two slightly projecting end wings flanking the central bays, where all fenestration is consolidated. Two entries at this elevation provide access to the main stairwells of the building. Each entry is flanked by deep paneled brick pilasters and topped by a simple hood supported on paired brackets. The historic doors were replaced by modern aluminum double doors in the 1970s. A small brick bulkhead that appears to be original provides access to the basement near the center of the rear elevation. Architectural ornamentation is much less pronounced at this elevation. Windows have simple cast stone sills and are topped by splayed brick heads with keystones. Decorative brick panels with diaper patterning run along the top of the second floor.

The interior has remained substantially intact, with only relatively minor modifications to the original plan and finishes. The building was designed with two matching staircases symmetrically located along the rear wall. These stairs each open into a small hallway near the center of the building at the basement level. The basement is divided into a series of large rooms, including bathrooms (northwest and northeast rooms), a mechanical room at the center of the rear wall, a large room at the center of the front wall (originally the manual training room) flanked by two smaller rooms (originally recreation rooms but more recently used for storage). The floor plan has not changed from the original design except for the addition of a single partition at the west end of the former manual training room. Rooms at the first and second floors open off a wide central corridor (running east/west). Five alcoves off of each of the corridors historically served as small coat rooms. There were originally two additional coat rooms off the first-floor corridor (south wall) but those were later converted to bathrooms. Floor plans have changed very little since the school was constructed. There are six classrooms at the first floor. The central classroom along the front (south) wall was originally flanked by the principal's office and a teacher's lounge, both of which were subsequently subdivided into two rooms. The second floor retains the original five classrooms. The historic plan included a large assembly hall at the center of the front (south) wall. The most notable change to the upper floors occurred in the former assembly hall at the second floor where partitions were added dividing the space into two classrooms; the stage area was also partitioned off. The building has a large unfinished attic with exposed brick walls and framing. Although the attic has windows on the side walls (east and wet), it was never used for anything but storage. Historic trim, doors, and flooring remain throughout the building. Typical spaces are finished with simple wood baseboards, chair rails, picture moldings, and casings. The two staircases with terrazzo steps and landings remain, although fire doors were added at each floor in the 1960s.

South facade (2010)

South facade (2010)

West elevation (2010)

Rear (north) elevation (2010)

East elevation (2010)

Northeast stair, landing between first and second floors (2010)

Second floor, corridor (2010)

Second floor, northwest classroom (2010)