Vacant School Building in OH

West End Elementary School, Carey Ohio

Date added: October 19, 2023 Categories:

Ohio
School

Designed by the Lorain architectural firm of H.O. Wusmer - W.L. Kramer Associates, the building's massing with central hall plan and larger corner rooms makes it a good example of early 20th-century school design. Eclectic in its stylistic influences, the building displays distinctive architectural features including a raised basement of rough-faced stone, double doors with fanlight recessed within a massive arched entranceway, corbelled brick frontispiece, and a stepped gable dormer. The architectural firm was well-known, designing many commercial and public buildings in Lorain and the northern Ohio region in the early 20^th century. Distinct characteristics of their work is the use of decorative corbelling, brickwork, and stone trim. The building was constructed by the local construction company of W.H. Snyder. The W.H. Snyder Company is a family-owned lumber business that was founded in 1884 and is still in operation today as one of Carey's oldest businesses. Snyder commissioned Harry Recker of Findlay, Ohio to do the stonework.

The West End Elementary School was constructed at a time of growth and expansion in Carey. The Village was expanding westward making a long walk for children on the west side to the Union School located on the east side. In 1905 it was decided by special election to build a new school. The West End Elementary School was the only school built from the revenue of the special election and the only school now remaining in Carey from this period. The earlier Union School has been demolished.

Construction began in June of 1905 and by November 1905 the first group of students moved into one of the newly completed classrooms. The West End Elementary School has served the community ever since, but due to decreasing enrollment in the Carey Public Schools the Board of Education decided to close the school as of May 1986.

Building Description

West End Elementary School is an excellent example of turn-of-century school architecture. Built in 1905 this red brick building has remained virtually unaltered since its construction. Distinctive architectural features include a raised basement of rough-faced stone, double doors with fanlight recessed in a massive arched entranceway, a corbelled brick frontispiece, and stone gable dormer. The school is situated on a quiet, tree-lined street in a residential section on the west side of Carey.

The rectangular, two-story, hipped roof school, constructed of brick using the common bond pattern has a raised basement of rusticated stone and a central hipped roof pavilion in the rear that contains the interior staircase. The symmetrical front facade contains a central entrance bay flanked by four double-hung windows on each story. The first-story entrance bay consists of a double door with a semi-circular fanlight recessed into a semi-circular stone arch way which is decorated with projecting brick and dentils. At the second story there is a corbelled brick frontispiece with two double-hung windows of the entrance bay flanked with paired brick pilasters topped by a stepped gable parapet with paired round-arched windows. The windows throughout the building feature a variety of lintel treatments. The basement windows are set into the rusticated stone foundation and capped with smooth sandstone that creates a belt course that separates the basement level from the upper stories. The first-story windows have smooth stone lintels and the second-story windows have radiating stone lintels, except for the two windows in the entrance bay which have lintels that match those found over the first-story windows. Each of the side elevations contain four windows per story and have lintels that echo those found on the front facade. The rear pavilion has three doors on the ground story. The central double door entrance and the doors that flank the double doors have transoms and are all topped with a sloping roof. The three double-hung windows on the second story have transoms which are topped with radiating fluted lintels. The rear of the main wing is pierced only with four doors, two per floor, that are accessed from the exterior by metal fire escape stairways.

On each story of the interior are two large roomy classrooms with eight windows, a fire escape door, a wooden hallway door with transom and an original cloakroom with coat hooks and storage cupboards. The basement contains the bathrooms and a lunch/playroom. The upper two stories are accessed by a central stairway with a landing between floors with windows that look onto the rear grounds. The basement is accessed by a front staircase or by the two side staircases in the rear. The varnished hardwood floors are original as are the plaster walls.