Vacant Elementary School Building in Kansas City MO

Blenheim School, Kansas City Missouri

Date added: November 05, 2024

Do you have an update on the current status of this structure? Please tell us about it in the comments below.

Blenheim School at 2411 East 70^th Terrace, Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri was constructed in 1924, with additions in 1927 and 1930. Its character-defining elements include fire-proof concrete and brick construction, wide double-loaded corridors, large windows for fresh air and natural light, an integrated auditorium and gymnasium, and specialized classrooms. Charles A. Smith, architect for the Kansas City School District, designed the three-story red brick Jacobethan Revival school with a symmetrical facade and ornate cut stone trim. The school was built in three phases, as designed by Smith, to accommodate the growing population in the area. Specialized classrooms were important components of the diverse Progressive Era curriculum designed to promote learning by doing and to provide direct access to informational sources. Blenheim School's Fresh Air classroom, large Kindergarten, integral auditorium and gymnasium, manual training, and domestic science classrooms reflect the Progressive Era educational philosophy embraced by Kansas City, Missouri in the 1920s.

Classrooms in Blenheim School range from 750 to 1000 square feet with high ceilings. Large expanses of windows provide ample light and air to the classrooms, which are neatly organized along the U-shaped corridor. Blenheim School retains historic large classrooms on each floor. The extant classrooms, as well as some reconfigured classrooms like those used to house the library, have extant cloakrooms accessed from within the classroom. All classrooms have fireproof concrete floors and original concrete baseboards, some are covered with tile and others are carpeted. Most classrooms have one wall of large windows; the southeast and northwest classrooms on the first floor and the southeast classroom on the second floor have windows on two walls, but the windows in the first-floor classrooms are smaller and high up on the wall. Chalkboards line the walls opposite the windows and coat closets.

The Kansas City Board of Education was formed in 1867. As the city expanded and residential neighborhoods spread south and east from the original core, more and larger schools were needed to accommodate the growing school-age population. The largest expansion of the Kansas City limits and, consequently, the School District, occurred after the turn of the century and through the 1920s. Shortly after Kansas City passed an ordinance in 1909 to extend the city limits from 49^th to 77^th Street, individuals and development groups filed plats for large tracts of land. The Phoenix Land and Improvement Company filed the Blenheim plat in 1910, subdividing the land between Prospect Avenue and the Paseo from 67^th to 71^st streets into thirty-two blocks containing a total of roughly 350 lots. That same year, a large group of individuals filed the Swope Ridge plat for the east side of Prospect Avenue between 69^th and 71^st streets. The sixteen blocks in Swope Ridge were designed to have a total of 480 lots. Between 1910 and 1920, Kansas City's population grew from 248,381 to 324,410. Much of the city's population shifted southward, building new houses on residential lots. Paralleling Kansas City's residential building boom of the 1920s, the School District added a significant number of buildings in these newly acquired areas during this time, using multiple bond issues approved to fund the expansion.

The School District built the first Blenheim School building in 1913 as property owners began constructing small residences in the surrounding neighborhood. As the neighborhood population increased, more buildings were added to the school grounds. Three frame buildings on the west side of the school grounds housed classrooms and a manual training facility. Twenty-one students attended the original Blenheim School in 1913. By 1924, enrollment grew to 318 students, creating the need for a larger educational facility in the area. The School District decided to replace the original frame buildings with a school building designed to be constructed in phases as needed depending on school enrollment by School District Architect Charles A. Smith. The three-phased construction was planned for by Smith and indicated in 1924 bid advertisements. The call for bids stated that the first phase of the school, to be completed by the next school year, would include seven rooms and cost $65,000. Miller-Stauch Construction Company received the contract and laid the cornerstone in July of 1924, completing the first phase of the building by the start of the school year in the fall. The first phase included the north corridor, the north wing of classrooms, and the boiler room.

The neighborhood surrounding Blenheim School continued to grow throughout the mid to late 1920s. By 1925, roughly two-thirds of the subdivided lots were occupied and enrollment at Blenheim School was 475. The school board called for bids on the second phase of the building in 1926, awarding the contract to Miller-Stauch Construction Company for $110,990. In 1927, with the student population at 583 and growing, the Board of Education received a permit for the construction of an addition to the school that included six classrooms, the gymnasium, the auditorium, and the extension of the corridors. Sanborn maps indicate that the third phase of the building was completed in 1930. The addition completed the symmetrical facade arrangement and included the primary entrance to the building and a reversed L-shaped bank of classrooms forming the southeast corner of the building, which included the Fresh Air classroom.

Blenheim School remained much the same over its years of use. In 1949, demising walls between the sewing room and adjacent classrooms were removed to create a cafeteria on the first floor with an adjacent kitchen. This cafeteria renovation was part of a Board of Education program of expansion and remodeling of cafeterias undertaken throughout the District. Other alterations during the life of the school include the installation of carpet and composition tile in most rooms and some classroom reconfiguration. The school closed in 2009 and has remained vacant.

Architect: Charles A Smith

Charles Ashley Smith, born in 1866, spent much of his life and the beginning of his architecture practice in Iowa. He moved to Kansas City when his employer, architectural firm Bell & Hackney, opened a Kansas City office in 1887. Smith became a partner in 1892, working with William Hackney on school designs through 1899 and was appointed the Kanas City Board of Education architect upon Hackney's death. During his thirty-eight years of service for the Board of Education, Smith designed over sixty new schools and additions including elementary, middle, and high school buildings. In order to meet the demands of the rapidly expanding Kansas City Public School system, Smith employed several prototypes, adapting the plans for each project. Smith utilized the building's ornament to create unique exteriors in a variety of historical revival styles. Smith's schools express the tenets of Progressive Era school design: the buildings are adaptable for expansion, well-ventilated, well-lit, and include specially-designed spaces for manual training, sewing, art, and music as well as gymnasia and auditoriums.

In addition to designing schools for the Board of Education, Smith was also a principal in the prominent local firm of Smith, Rea, and Lovitt from 1910 to 1921. The firm is responsible for numerous commercial buildings, private residences, the YMCA Building at 1822-28 The Paseo and the Kansas City Club at 1228 Baltimore in downtown Kansas City. Smith designed many notable civic, commercial, religious, and residential buildings throughout Kansas City until his death in 1948.

Building Description

Blenheim School at 2411 E. 70^th Terrace, Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri sits atop a hill within a primarily residential neighborhood just east of Highway 71. The 3.9-acre site occupies an entire city block lined by E. 70^th Terrace to the north, Olive Street to the west, E. Gregory Boulevard to the South, and Prospect Avenue to the east. The property has one building (the school) and a large paved playground and a paved parking lot. The school building, located in the center of the property, was constructed in three phases between 1924 and 1930. The three-story rectangular building has a stone foundation, brick cladding with cut stone ornament, and a flat roof. The 1927 central block and 1930 south block of the building match the materials, fenestration patterns, and design of the original 1924 block and create a symmetrical front facade. Shaped parapets with stone ornament reference the Jacobethan Revival style, popular at the time of construction. Many of the original interior features and finishes are extant, including the original configuration of corridors and classrooms, classroom built-ins, trim, coat closets, ventilation system, and the integral auditorium and gymnasium. Alterations to the Blenheim School include the reconfiguration of some interior spaces, updating of some finishes, and the replacement of windows within the historic masonry openings.

Detailed Description

Blenheim School is located at 2411 E. 70^th Terrace in Kansas City, Missouri. The property occupies an entire city block lined by E. 70^th Terrace to the north, Olive Street to the west, E. Gregory Boulevard to the South, and Prospect Avenue to the east. Small, single-family houses comprise the residential neighborhood surrounding the school to the north, west, and south. Prospect Avenue to the east is a primary commercial thoroughfare with stores, restaurants, and churches lining both sides of the street. Immediately east of Prospect Avenue is Highway 71, a large multi-lane divided highway. Farther east, beyond Highway 71, is Swope Park, an 1805-acre public park. The Paseo, a historic boulevard, runs SW-NE two blocks west of the school.

The block is elevated from the neighborhood with slopes at the perimeters leading to sidewalks on all sides. Stairs at each elevation lead from the sidewalk to the school. The school building occupies the middle of the block just west of the center of the lot; its primary elevation faces Prospect Avenue. A paved playground comprises most of the eastern half of the lot with a small grassy area near the northwest corner of the playground. Steps lead up from the paved playground to a paved terrace that lines the east elevation. A paved parking lot abuts the building's west elevation; a paved driveway leading to Olive Street accesses the parking lot. Large circular tree planters made of fieldstone are located on the east and west sides of the property and in the paved parking lot west of the building.

The Jacobethan Revival Blenheim School has a stone foundation, red brick cladding, and a flat roof. A shaped parapet with cut stone ornament caps the building. The three-story building was constructed in three phases from 1924 to 1930, creating an overall rectangular massing. Each phase is a component of the original design, therefore, the transitions between phases are seamless and not visible from the exterior. The first phase of construction consisted of the northernmost block of classrooms with a single corridor; Bay 9 of the east elevation and the entirety of the north elevation comprise the north block. The second phase included the south and east corridors of the school, the northern stair tower/entrance pavilion (Bay 7 of the east elevation), and the gymnasium/auditorium. The final phase included the remainder of the building; Bays 1-6 of the east elevation and the entirety of the south elevation comprise the south block. The primary east elevation and secondary north and south elevations are mostly flat with small, shallow projections. The tertiary west elevation belies the true massing of the building with the regular rhythm of classrooms surrounding the recreational spaces and utilitarian functions at the center. Each elevation has non-historic aluminum windows that fill the historic masonry openings. First-story windows are boarded up. Operable hung bottom sashes are topped by two additional sashes creating a tripartite window configuration. All windows have cut stone sills. Tuck pointing campaigns on the exterior walls create a differentiation in color between the upper and lower portions of the brick walls, however, the bricks are the same historic building material throughout.

The primary elevation faces east. Nine bays divide the elevation visually, alternating projecting and recessed facades. A cut stone beltcourse runs the length of the facade above the first story. A shaped parapet with cut stone coping tops the building. Bay 1 at the south end of the facade has three punched openings for single windows at the first story while the second story has a pair of windows with flanking single windows. The brick wall at the third story is devoid of openings. Bay 9 does not have any windows. These windowless bays have brick quoins at the corner, a simple brick cornice with a blind brick balustrade, and a flat parapet with stone coping. The cornerstone for the building is located at the northeast corner, incised "1924". Bays 2 and 8 are nearly identical with punched openings at the first story and bands of five windows at the second and third stories. A band of projecting header and stretcher bricks ornamented with small diamond-shaped stone pieces frames these upper-story windows. Full-height entrance pavilions fill Bays 3 and 7 and project from the facade. The two entrance pavilions are the most prominent features of the elevation. Stone bands articulate the first story of the entrance bays. Round arched doorways span from the first story to the landing of the stairs above. Stone comprises the door surrounds with exaggerated voussoirs and a central keystone. Double doors topped by a transom and tripartite lunette comprise the entrances. Elaborate stone window surrounds with exaggerated keystones, stone tracery pediments, and stone shields in the spandrels frame paired windows that illuminate the stair landings between the second and third stories. Circular stone medallions center the shaped pediment above the third story, topping these pavilions. Bays 4 and 6 are identical with a pair of windows in each story. Tapered stone panels frame the lower half of the second-story opening and the brick and stone spandrel panel beneath. The third story has punched openings with a pair of windows, stone sills, and soldier-course brick lintels. The central bay has a projecting block at the first story, articulated with cut stone bands. The projecting bay has a heavy stone lintel spanning the distance over four centered windows. A flat parapet with geometric stone ornament rises above the lintel. The remainder of Bay 5 is recessed in line with Bays 4 and 6. A band of six windows fill the second and third-story openings. Above the band of windows at the second story, stone scrolls flank a stone banner incised "BLENHEIM SCHOOL". A corbelled brick cornice tops the third story with a shaped parapet above.

The north and south elevations are nearly identical. Raised pattern brickwork with diamond-shaped stone details delineate the center bays on the second and third stories. Rounded projections on the parapet mark either side of the center bays. The outer bays have brick quoins at the corners and blind brick balustrades at the parapet.

The north elevation is four bays wide; a band of five windows fills each bay on the third story and Bays 1, 3, and 4 on the second story; two sets of paired windows fill Bay 2 on the second story. On the first story of the north elevation, a tripartite window flanked by single windows fills Bay 1; Bays 2 and 3 each have four single windows; four half-height single windows fill Bay 4. The fenestration pattern is historic; the only alterations to the north elevation occurred in 1927 when the original entrance in Bay 2 was converted to window openings after the construction of the 1927 entrance on the north side of the east elevation.

The south elevation retains its historic fenestration pattern and is five bays wide. On the second and third stories, bands of five windows fill Bays 1, 3, and 5; paired windows fill Bays 2 and 4. On the first story, four single windows fill Bays 1 and 3, however, one of the window openings in Bay 3 has brick infill and was never extant. Paired windows fill Bays 2 and 4; a tripartite window flanked by single windows fills Bay 5.

The rear (west) elevation is asymmetrical and features less ornament than the other three elevations. A flat parapet with stone coping tops the entire elevation and a stone beltcourse marks the top of the first story. The massing of this elevation is irregular with the central sections recessed to varying degrees. The four outermost bays, however, are symmetrical. The two outermost bays are almost identical, featuring windowless first and second stories, brick quoins, a small brick cornice, and a blind brick balustrade at the parapet. The south bay lacks first-story windows while the north bay has four evenly spaced windows covered with plywood. The next two bays, on the interior of the outermost bays, are symmetrical in massing. These bays contain the two west stairs and are recessed from the outermost bays. Double doors are centered on the bays. The northern door is topped by a flat stone sign reading "BLENHEIM SCHOOL" while the southern door, due to changes in grade, is higher up than the northern door, requiring the stone beltcourse to wrap up around the door frame. "BLENHEIM SCHOOL' is incised in the beltcourse above the south door. A small pent eave with a standing seam roof shelters this entrance, which projects slightly from the rest of the bay. Paired windows top the door opening in the northern stair bay with a single window at the second story while the southern stair bay only has the single second-story window. Rings of raised bricks with a centered diamond-shaped stone detail top both stair towers.

Toward the center of the west elevation, the gymnasium/auditorium block forms the primary mass, recessed from the stair towers. Four brick buttresses with stone details run the height of the mass from the below-grade windows to the parapet; an additional buttress that is narrower than the rest abuts the south side of the gymnasium/auditorium block. Four paired hung windows are located below grade, topped by the stone beltcourse with a window well to allow light into the gymnasium. The second and third stories of this mass contain the auditorium, with two bays of large expanses of windows and one bay with two pairs of windows illuminating the seating area, and a single window illuminating the stage. North of the gym, a one-story mechanical room fills the space between the gymnasium/auditorium and the north stair tower. The mechanical room has five window openings infilled with brick, plywood, or metal louvers, and a projecting brick vestibule with a pair of metal slab doors. A large brick chimney rises from the mechanical room, abutting the west wall of the school, above the parapet of the school. Stone details, including a round-arched blind window with exaggerated voussoirs, stone shields, and stone coping adorn the prominent chimney. Behind the chimney, banks of windows illuminate classrooms and restrooms on the second and third stories. Plywood covers the second-story window openings. The south elevation of the north bay has one pair of windows at the second and third stories. Plywood covers the second-story windows. The north elevation of the south wing does not have windows.

The interior of Blenheim School reflects its continued use as an elementary school until 2009. Alterations on each floor the building vary, but do not compromise its integrity. Lighting updates, bathroom renovations, and reconfigurations of large classroom spaces are the most common alterations. The rooms have plaster walls; tile or carpet floors; and dropped ceiling grids with acoustical tiles and fluorescent lighting. Historically, the floors were organized as basement, ground, first and second floors, which corresponds to the present-day basement, first, second, and third floors.

A wide, double-loaded U-shaped corridor organizes the first, second, and third floors. Finishes in the corridor include composite tile floors, concrete base trim, plaster walls, wood chair rails, and dropped lay-in grid ceilings. In the east corridor, a metal track and sliding door mark the seam where the second and third phases of the building connect.

Four sets of stairs rise from the first floor to the third floor. Two sets of stairs fill the entry pavilions on the east elevation. On the first floor, corridors from the stairs lead to entrance vestibules on the east side of the building. Partitions on the landings between the second and third stories create offices and utility rooms. The two remaining stairs are located at the west ends of the north and south corridors; these stairs access entrance vestibules on the landings in between the first and second floors. Stairs are concrete with closed plaster bannisters, simple metal pipe railings, wood chair rails, and wood caps.

Classrooms line the perimeter walls and are uniform in finishes and general layout. The typical classroom is an open rectangle with a single door leading to the corridor. In the majority of the classrooms, a recessed alcove with a non-historic partial wall adjacent to the doorway creates a coat closet. Wood doors fill historic door openings. Vents, connected to the central ventilation system, are typically located above or next to the doorways. Chalkboards hang on one or two walls within historic wood frames. Finishes in classrooms include non-historic composite tile floors and historic concrete base trim and window sills, wood chair rails and chalkboard frames, wood built-in cabinets and shelves, and plaster walls. Classrooms have dropped lay-in grid ceilings beneath plaster ceilings, but the dropped ceilings have been held back from perimeter walls in most rooms, exposing the historic plaster ceilings and wood picture rail. Some classrooms have been reconfigured with demising walls removed or relocated to create larger spaces for rooms such as the cafeteria, library, and administrative offices. Reconfigured classrooms often retain their historic closets and cabinetry.

Boy's and girl's restrooms fill the southwest corner of the first floor; three classrooms with typical configurations and finishes fill the southeast corner. The former kindergarten classroom in the center of the east corridor was converted into administrative offices sometime after 1985 but retains its historic fireplace with a glazed tile surround depicting images from traditional nursery rhymes. Four classrooms line the east and north sides of the corridor in the northeast and northwest corners of the building.

Small office spaces line the west side of the east corridor along the former gymnasium balcony, which was enclosed sometime after 1985. An elevator in the center of the corridor across from the administrative offices, added after 1985, runs from the basement to the third floor. A door immediately to the north of the offices accesses a hallway that leads to small offices and utility spaces as well as stairs down to the gymnasium. Mechanical rooms line the south side of the north corridor; a door on the south side of the north corridor leads to stairs that access the mechanical rooms. The mechanical rooms are two stories high and have sunken floors that align with the basement level.

The gymnasium at the basement and first floor (beneath the auditorium), has high ceilings, plaster walls, and concrete floors covered with a rubberized material. Large expanses of windows provide ample light to the space. Acoustical panels have been installed along the upper portion of the east wall. Large metal beams span the gymnasium; a dropped lay-in grid ceiling hangs between the beams. A high wood chair rail lines north, west, and south walls, beneath the windows. The primary entrance to the gym is at the southwest corner from the stairs. A secondary entrance and stairs at the northeast corner leads to a hallway on the first floor. Utilitarian spaces on the north side of the gym provide storage and lead to the secondary stairs.

Second Floor

The cafeteria occupies the south end of the building and was created from the Fresh Air classroom and dressing rooms and two primary school rooms prior to 1985. Remnants of these classrooms such as the windows to the corridor for borrowed light, coat rooms, and the built-in cabinets are extant. The auditorium, located in the southwest corner of the building across from the cafeteria, has tall ceilings that rise to the third floor. The stage is located at the north end of the auditorium with primary entrances at the rear (south). A ramp in the east corridor provides an accessible entrance to the stage. Large windows illuminate the space from the west. Plaster bead-and-reel, cavetto, and ribbon-and-reed moldings comprise the basket arch proscenium. Plaster cornucopias flank a central plaster vegetal cartouche inscribed with the letter "B". The elevated stage has maple tongue-and-groove floors. Attached rows of wood theater seats stand on a gently sloped concrete floor with two aisles leading to double doors at the rear. Plaster walls have low wood wainscot in line with the stage level. Plaster beams create a coffered ceiling with acoustical tile applied directly to the plaster ceiling on the flat surfaces within the coffers. Art Deco wedding cake light fixtures hang from the ceiling. The balcony was enclosed sometime after 1985 and is presently used for offices on the third floor.

Classrooms along the east corridor retain their historic configurations except the boy's and girl's restrooms on the west side of the east corridor which were historically a single classroom. Three historic classrooms and two historic offices along the north corridor were converted into the library and small offices after 1985. Two classrooms created the main library room; their historic coat closets and built-in cabinets are extant. The coat closet, built-in cabinet, and fragments of the blackboard frame of the classroom in the building's northeast corner are extant.

Third Floor

The third floor of Blenheim School retains its historic configuration of classrooms. Three classrooms line the south corridor; the girl's restroom between the center and west classroom was converted into an office; the book room between the center and east classroom was incorporated into the center classroom. The third-floor auditorium balcony was infilled, creating three offices with level floors and drywall partitions.

Classrooms along the east corridor retain their original configurations except the current boy's and girl's restrooms on the west side of the east corridor which were historically a single classroom. A historic swinging blackboard is extant in the classroom on the west side of the east corridor. Four classrooms line the north corridor.

A paved playground occupies the east end of the property. The playground is approximately 210 feet long and 225 feet wide. A tall chain-link fence encloses the playground, which slopes downward at its north, east, and south edges. Grass covers the north, east, and south slopes. Mature deciduous trees cover the south and east slopes; historic fieldstone planters surround the trees on the east slope. An unpaved area approximately sixty feet long and ninety feet wide occupies the northwest corner of the playground. Playground equipment fills the space. The playground has two basketball courts in the southeast corner of the lot. The playground was historically unpaved; it was paved sometime between 1962 and 1969 but retains its historic configuration and function. Two sets of concrete stairs and a concrete ramp lead from the entrances on the school's primary elevation to the playground.

A paved parking lot abuts the building's west elevation. The parking lot is approximately 220 feet long and 155 feet wide and has space for three rows of parking. A tall chain-link fence encloses the area. A driveway on the lot's west side and sidewalks on the north and south sides access the parking lot. Historic circular fieldstone planters occupy the center of the parking lot and the center of the property's western edge just outside of the chain link fence. The lot was paved sometime between 1962 and 1969 but retains its original configuration.