Former Niagara Falls High School, Niagara Falls New York

Date added: May 18, 2024

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Built in 1923-24 to serve a growing school-age population, the Neoclassical Revival school remained a prominent part of the community's public educational system until its closure in 2000. Designed by Simon Larke and C. R. Obenhack of Architectural Associates of Niagara Falls, with William B. Ittner of St. Louis Missouri as consulting architect, the Former Niagara Falls High School is typical of schools from its period. It is a fine example of standardized school design of the early twentieth century. Its large symmetrical massing is enhanced by handsome classically inspired details, including a central projecting pavilion with six columns, repetitive fenestration and blank end walls at the corners. A large auditorium detailed with Neoclassical embellishments is among its finest architectural features. The school has one addition from 1922-23 and one from 1963.

Niagara Falls, New York is located on the Niagara River at the site of the famous falls. The French were the first Europeans to control the area from 1669 to 1759 when the English took over and dominated until 1796. The first settlers in Niagara Falls were August Porter and his brother Peter B. Porter, who took up residence in 1805 after purchasing from the "Mile Reserve", large tracts of land near the falls and laid out a village. They were the first to see the energy potential of the falls and to make efforts to develop that potential by building a sawmill, a blacksmith shop, and in 1807 a gristmill, the first to be built along the American side of the Falls. The early industries established by the Porters were the basis for the later industrial development of the Niagara Falls area.

After the War of 1812, the village of Manchester was renamed Niagara Falls, and started to rebuild following the burning by the British. The mills were rebuilt, Judge De Veaux built his store, and James Field reopened his tavern. The town also became an important manufacturing, tourist center, and a port of entry for goods from Canada, once the bridge connection was made. By 1848, the Village of Niagara Falls was officially incorporated and the Suspension Bridge at Bellevue was dedicated and opened to traffic between the two countries. A small hamlet called Bellevue grew up around the site of the new bridge to Canada and consequently, developed as a railroad center.

During this period, the Porter brothers tried to interest capitalists in the idea of building a hydraulic canal, which was eventually completed in 1861. The industrial development of Niagara Falls began in earnest when Jakob Schoellkoph bought the hydraulic canal and began to develop milling using the power generated by the canal. His success encouraged other businesses to use the canal's hydropower. The canal was used to generate the hydraulic power that was converted to electric light in 1881 and was the first public distribution of electricity at Niagara Falls. The population of Niagara Falls grew as a result, building activity increased and businesses prospered. The village limits expanded northward closer to Suspension Bridge, thus encouraging eventual consolidation, which took place on March 17^th, 1892, creating the City of Niagara Falls. The Village of La Salle was annexed in 1927, adding 7,000 people.

The Age of Electricity (1892-1901), the use of Niagara Falls as a power source spurred the industrial development and economic prosperity, caused more families to move to the new city. The growing school population in the booming community created a demand for new schools. During this period, the new city of Niagara Falls began the process of consolidation of the two village governments of Suspension Bridge and Niagara Falls. The merging of their school systems was completed within three months of the city incorporation. Mr. James F. Trott became the first president of the Board of Education and he played a prominent role in the development and expansion of the school system. The new city school system had four buildings, two of which were high schools and had total enrollment of 1575 students. As the city population grew, so did the need for additional classroom space. A new high school was being discussed by the turn-of-the-century. In May of 1901, city residents voted a sum of $150,000 to build a new high school at Pine Avenue and Portage Road, which was purchased from August O. Porter for $26,000. The corner stone was laid on November 26^th, 1902 for the original Niagara Falls High School, which was designed by E. E. Joralemon at this location and the building was formally opened on September 8^th, 1903.

During the first two decades of the twentieth century, the use of Niagara Falls as a power source spurred the industrial development of the city. The continued economic growth brought more population to the city to work and resulted in an increase in student enrollment in the school system. In 1903, there were 338 students enrolled in Niagara Falls High School and by 1920, the student population had grown to 960, which reflected the economic prosperity of the city. To meet the demands made on the school system, the Niagara Falls Board of Education, with voter approval of $325,000 for an annex to the existing (1902-1903) Niagara Falls High School, engaged Simon Larke and C. R. Obenhack of Associated Architects of Niagara Falls, New York with William B. Itner of St. Louis, Missouri as consulting architect, to design the building addition. This new addition, designed in 1921 was constructed between 1921-1922. It housed a boys and girls gymnasium, a swimming pool, an Art Room, a Biology Room, a Chemistry Room, a General Science Room, two Mechanical Drawing Rooms, a Blue Print Room and a large Lecture Room. During the process of constructing the new addition, a fire destroyed the main building of Niagara Falls High School on January 24^th, 1922. The building was a total loss.

On January 25^th, 1922, Superintendent John B. Laidlaw and Principal James F. Taylor met with the Niagara Falls Board of Education to work out a plan to get the students back at their studies in temporary quarters. The Board of Education contacted William B. Itner, chief consulting architect for the Board's school building program to come at one to Niagara Falls to meet with them and the local association of architects to develop a plan to replace the high school building. Simon Larke and C. R. Obenhack of Associated Architects of Niagara Falls, who had done the 1921-22 addition to the original 1903 high school, drew the new high school plans. Laur and Mack Construction Company was awarded contracts for the removal of the burned-out ruins and the construction of the new high school, which began in May of 1923. The cornerstone was laid without ceremony on July 24^th, 1923. The high school building was completed and opened on September 24^th, 1924 for the school year. The Greening Landscape Company of Monroe, Michigan completed the landscaping and planting plans on December 5^th, 1923.

In 1963, a twenty-four-classroom addition, designed by Cannon, Thiele, Betz and Cannon was constructed.

The construction of Niagara Falls High School historically reflected one of the most dominant trends of the nineteenth century in educational programming and curricular development, which came as a result of the large influx of immigrants and the increasing industrialization and urbanization of the country. The focus of secondary schools shifted away from the study of classics to the preparation of all children to enter the work force and, equally important, inculcation of the American values of citizenship and democracy. After the turn of the century, this change had dramatically influenced school buildings two ways: the inclusion of single purpose rooms (such as: laboratories, manual arts and domestic science rooms, assembly halls, and gymnasiums) and the expanded use of the school building during non-school hours. The transformation of the school system was beginning, leading architects to a new way of designing schools that would meet the demands of the public.

By the time Larke and Obenhack designed the new Niagara Falls High School after the January 24^th, 1922 fire, school design had become highly standardized. Classroom sizes, circulation patterns and fenestration were essentially fixed and architects had to work within a framework that predetermined many physical factors of educational buildings. Legislative mandates, authoritative articles in professional journals, and the public's expectations were standardizing the plan, appearance, and materials of new school buildings.

New York State enacted its first law governing school design in 1904 and amended it in 1910. By this period, new ideas about health and safety led architects to introduce certain features into the design of schools. A number of solutions to the problems of fire safety, heating, ventilation and lighting had been standardized in practice and were used by architects across the country. Application of these health and safety standards resulted in a remarkably uniform product, the standardized school. This is not to say that all schools built after 1910 looked alike or that architects had no choices in their design, but that many share common features, which result from the standardization that, took place during these years.

One of the most recognizable features of the standardized type school demonstrated by the design of Niagara Falls High School is the repetitive fenestration and the large areas of blank wall at the end bays. This fenestration is remarkably uniform from school to school and results from the application of a formula calculated to ensure that all students in a classroom would have adequate light at their desks without undue glare or harsh shadows falling on their work. It was considered best for light to come from one side only and fall over the left shoulder.

By 1910 an almost universally accepted rule had evolved, which specified that there should be a ratio of 1/4 to 1/5 window to floor area, that windows should come to within six inches of the twelve-and-one-half to thirteen foot ceilings and that sills should be three to three-and-one-half feet from the floor. The formula was not as arbitrary as it might seem since the height and area of windows was predicated upon a standard classroom for forty-five students with a width of twenty-four to twenty-six feet and a length of twenty-nine to thirty feet. The maximum width dimension was in turn based on the calculation that for there to be adequate light for the row of fixed seats farthest from the window, the room should be no wider that twice the distance from the floor to the top of the window. In addition, students in the last row of seats should be close enough to the blackboard at the front of the room to be able to read letters one-and-one-half inches high, a distance set at twenty-nine to thirty feet.

Niagara Falls High School generally adheres to these standards with respect to the room dimensions. The standard classroom width at the high school is between twenty-two and twenty-four feet, which does not exceed the prescribed maximum width. The distance between the blackboards and the back of the classroom ranges from a minimum of twenty-two feet in the smaller classrooms to a maximum of twenty-seven feet in the larger classrooms.

If repetitive fenestration is a familiar feature of the standardized school type, the blank wall is another recognizable element that resulted from the concern for proper lighting. Since bilateral lighting was to be avoided, classrooms on the corners of the building presented a particular problem. Initially, architects were uncomfortable with interrupting the pattern with a large unfenestrated wall and so they incorporated blank windows to maintain visual balance. By the time Niagara Falls High School was built, however, the practice of incorporating the necessary blank wall into the overall design was well established and Larke and Obenhack used ornamentation to visually tie this area into the overall composition.

Lighting requirements also affected the plan of the standardized school. Since the classroom unit must have one long exterior wall for windows, the question in larger schools was how to arrange the rooms to accomplish this. The most frequently used solutions were the H and E plans, which allow maximum external wall area. The 1923-1924 main classroom block of Niagara Falls High School is an H-shaped plan.

Niagara Falls High School also shares some other features of plan and mass with the standardized school type. Concern for fire safety, spurred by the disastrous school fire of January 24^th, 1922, led to abandonment of the central stairwell. Instead stairs were separate from one another with straight runs and landings for easy egress. The materials used in Niagara Falls High School show the architect's concern for fire safety. These include walls of brick and hollow clay tile and concrete floors.

Niagara Falls High School is architecturally significant as a distinguished example of a school building type, with classically designed features, which evolved to meet the changing role of schools in the first two decades of the twentieth century. Classical elements used in the design of the school include they symmetrically balanced facade with a central projecting entrance pavilion with six columns and Corinthian capitals, dentilled stone cornice, flat roof and sway motifs. Larke and Obenhack chose the Neoclassical Revival style, one of the most popular stylistic references for schools of the period. This revival style clearly reflects the influence of the World's Colombian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893, where similar, although larger buildings had been erected. The classical theme of the Fair provided a striking alternative to the ostentatious ornament associated with the Beaux-Arts style of the same period. By contrast, the flat-roofed Neoclassical Revival building was subdued and dignified, although equally monumental in scale.

Building Description

The Former Niagara Falls High School is located on the south side of Pine Avenue at the corner of Portage Road, in a mixed commercial/residential neighborhood of the City of Niagara Falls, Niagara County, New York. The immediate vicinity consists of modern commercial buildings on the north side of Pine Street, altered early twentieth-century residential buildings along the east side of Thirteenth Street with a small park setting on the west side of Portage Road and a large parking lot on the south side of Walnut Street. The main facade of the former high school faces Pine Street and occupies a trapezoid-shaped area surrounded by Pine Avenue on the north, 13^th Street on the east, Walnut Street on the south and Portage Road on the west. The parcel contains 3.32 acres of land historically and currently associated with the high school. The school is larger in scale and set back farther from the street than other buildings in the area. In front of the school to the north is a broad lawn with scattered trees and shrubs, along with a crescent shaped concrete sidewalk leading to the school steps.

Constructed in 1923-1924, the Former Niagara Falls High School, a Classical Revival style building is notable as an intact example of the standardized school design of the period. The three-story main block of the school is of steel frame construction with buff-colored brick and sandstone trim on a raised concrete foundation. The high school is a composition of three functionally distinct units consisting of a large classroom section including an administrative office area surrounding an auditorium in the main block paralleling Pine Street, and a gymnasium extending southward from the center of this main block, which was constructed in 1922-1923 (The original 1903 school was destroyed by fire during the construction of the gymnasium in 1922-1923) and a 1963 classroom wing is attached to the east side of the gymnasium.

The classically inspired details and design elements of the main block include a symmetrical facade with a five-bay central projecting pavilion with six round columns with Corinthian capitals supporting an architrave freize, which is surmounted by a dentiled cornice and a pre-cast spindled balustrade with urns resting on pedestals. The freize panel has the high school nnme NIAGARA FALLS HIGH SCHOOL carved in the stone block. A five-bay attic story with a molded cornice stands behind the balustrade. The projecting pavilion is flanked on both sides by a five-bay long set back classroom block with two-story pilasters having simple stone capitals separating the wide window bays, which have modern sliding track aluminum windows with solid infill panels above. The brick pilasters rest on a stone base, which are supported by a molded stone belt course above the ground floor. The classroom windows on the ground floor rest on a stone base, which serves as a continuous sill. The first story classroom windows, separated by brick pilasters, have stone sills and a brick soldier course as lintels. The third story classroom windows have stone sills with a continuous molded stone lintel intersecting with each pilaster capital. A brick parapet with stone coping surmounts a heavy molded stone cornice, encircling the main block at the flat roofline. The projecting lateral building sides have end blocks with bank walls featuring festooned carved stone panels with the Lamp of Wisdom flanked by the Books of Knowledge. The triple tiered entrance leads to the main doors of the central projecting pavilion. The first flight of seven limestone stairs rises to an approximately sixty foot square terrace. The second tier features a spindled and stone paneled balustrade with a flanking set of seven stairs at either end, which leads to another smaller terrace. A long flight of eighteen limestone stairs leads to the three main entrances at the first floor. The three original entrances through the portico wall now have modern aluminum frame and glass doors. These entrances retain the original molded stone door lintels and are crowned by molded stone plaques.

The east and west elevations of the main classroom block are fourteen bays wide. Like the front of the building, these elevations also have a stone base, belt course above the ground level and a brick parapet with stone coping surmounts a heavy molded stone cornice; two-story brick pilasters with simple stone capitals and repetitive fenestration. A projecting entrance pavilion is located south of the third window bay on each elevation and has a stone spindled balustrade inserted into the parapet. These classical entrances on the ground level have a broken pediment with an ornament, which are carried by stone columns. After the eleventh window bay, the building wall is recessed approximately thirty-eight feet to line-up with the side elevation of the 1922-23 rear section of the school.

The 1923-1924 main block was attached to the south 1922-1923 pre-existing part of the school by a three-bay wide section. The Portage Road side of the building, at this perpendicular connection on the ground level, contains a centrally located vehicle entrance and has flanking classical entrances featuring a broken pediment supported by stone columns. The original iron gates into the storage area were replaced with a modern overhead door. The second and third story windows have stone sills and a brick soldier course as lintels. A three-story, flat-roof rectangular block, extending from the rear of the three-bay link, is the gymnasium/pool section with an attached locker and shower room segment. Six, two-story window bays in the gymnasium wall have been in-filled with brick. The west elevation also has a stone base, belt course above the ground level along with a brick parapet with stone coping surmounts a heavy molded stone cornice.

The south elevation of the 1922-1923 section of the building containing the shower and locker rooms also has a stone base, belt course above the ground level and a brick parapet with a stone coping surmounts a heavy molded stone cornice. Five ground level windows have been in-filled with brick. Classical entrances featuring a broken pediment supported by stone columns are located close to the corners of this south elevation. The second and third story windows have stone sills and a brick soldier course as lintels. An attic story of six classrooms and one storage room exists above the gymnasium.

In 1963, a three-story, flat-roofed, buff-colored classroom addition above a limestone ground level was appended to the east elevation of the 1922-1923 section of the school along Thirteenth Street. The twenty-two bay long by approximately sixty-foot wide addition has slate strips that separate the paired window bays and stories. Large modern sliding track aluminum windows with solid infill panels above replaced the originals in both elevations. The south elevation, facing Walnut Street, also has slate strips separating two paired window bays and stories. The southeast corner section of this elevation is a blank brick wall, while the southwest corner has two paired window bays.

Although some alterations have been made to the school's interior, it retains the original floor plan as well as many historic features and materials. The plan and design of the school show the architects' interest in a hierarchical progression of spaces. The more public spaces such as the library and auditorium display the highest level of detail and design. The plan is organized around the different functions of the school with classrooms, administrative offices, library, lunchroom, and auditorium in the main block and the gymnasium/pool in the rear block. The choice of interior finishes was largely dictated by the need for durable surfaces. Intact materials and features include walls and ceilings of plaster, terrazzo floors in the first-floor corridors and stairwells, concrete floors, linoleum in the corridors, and wooden doors with glass transoms. The original wood flooring, baseboards, and blackboards still survive in the classrooms, while built-in metal lockers line the corridors.

The main entrance from the recessed portico within the building was originally open, but now has three modern aluminum frame and glass doors with large glass transoms. The sandstone portico has molded surround openings, coved ceiling and period lighting fixtures. The original exterior doors to the vestibule have been removed. The vestibule retains its terrazzo floor, plaster walls and dentiled cornice molding. Modern aluminum frame and glass doors open to the main corridor of the first floor. Located immediately opposite the main corridor are display cases flanked by four entrance doors to the auditorium, which is the central core of the main block.

The main block is an H-shaped plan with perpendicular wings at the end of the lateral axis and projects the auditorium back from the main corridor. An attached gymnasium/pool wing (1922-1923) to the rear of the main block has a classroom addition appended to the east side of the rear wing. The first floor of the main block has a long east-west principal corridor, which runs the length of the building with classrooms and administrative offices on the north side. The auditorium is centrally located along the south side of this main corridor and is flanked by stairwells on the east and west, which lead to the upper floors. The perpendicular wing corridors have classrooms on the east and west sides respectively, while the interior sides have courtyard windows allowing natural light into the corridors. At the end of the west lateral corridor, the hallway turns ninety degrees leading to the auditorium rear exit doors near the stage and again, the hallway turns ninety degrees to a stairwell, which leads to the rear gymnasium/pool wing. The lateral corridor on the east has been modified to provide access to the 1963 classroom addition. When the east wing was added, it connected to the main block at the southeast corner, and the existing wall was removed for a new opening to the addition's main corridor.

The auditorium is the most impressive space in the school due to its large size and classical detailing. In plan, the auditorium is a rectangular block with a proscenium stage at the west. The lower level seats approximately 680 with another 324 seats available in the balcony. The auditorium is a large space approximately 70 feet long by 80 feet wide with original folding wood and metal seats between the two outer aisles and two inner aisles. The floor slopes downward toward the raised stage. A short curved flight of steps at either side of the projecting stage connects the orchestra to the stage. The tall round arched windows on the east and west sidewalls are covered, but originally allowed natural light from the courtyards to enter the auditorium. The original glass chandelier is suspended from the center of an oval ceiling medallion.

The main stairwells flanking the auditorium lead to the ground floor with classrooms along the same corridor configuration as the first floor, while the lunchroom and kitchen are located under the auditorium.

Like the first and ground floors, the second floor plan of the main block has a long east-west principal corridor with classrooms on the east, north, and west sides of the building. The inside walls of the perpendicular hallways have courtyard windows, which allow natural light into the corridors. The Library is centrally located on the north side of the corridor across the hall from three doors, which open to the auditorium balcony. The Library has a high coved ceiling with ornamental plaster, oak paneling on the walls and built-in as well as freestanding book shelving.

Two narrow stairwells, flanking the auditorium balcony doors, lead up to the attic story above, which has two large classrooms at the ends of an art corridor with skylights. A large art room with five windows, on the north side of the corridor, is set back from the portico balustrade.

The rear 1922-1923 pre-existing wing to the Former Niagara Falls High School has stairwells on the east and west sides of the building, where it connects to the main block. This wing contains a swimming pool with boys and girls locker/dressing rooms, classrooms and storage rooms on the ground floor. The first floor has the boy's gymnasium and locker/dressing room, exercise room and storage rooms. The second floor has the girl's gymnasium and locker/dressing room, nautilus and storage room. The third floor has the upper gymnasium, coach's offices and storage rooms. The attic story has six classrooms and a storage room.

The 1963 addition has twenty-five classrooms in the four-story wing. The second floor has a book room, faculty lounge and conference rooms. This addition blocked off the gymnasium windows on the east side of the 1922-1923 wing.