Central School (Iron River, Michigan)
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Central School | |
 Apple Blossom Apartment Homes, the former Central School, in 2024 | |
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 Interactive map | |
| Location | 218 West Cayuga St, Iron River, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 46°5′38″N 88°38′26″W / 46.09389°N 88.64056°W |
| Area | Less than one acre |
| Built | 1905 |
| Architect | Van Ryn & DeGelleke; John D. Chubb |
| Architectural style | Dutch Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 08000584[1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 3, 2008 |
Central School is a school located at 218 West Cayuga Street in Iron River, Michigan, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.[1]
Iron River constructed the first Central School just south of the site of the present building in 1884.[2] The school was expanded in 1889, 1898, and 1902; the city built additional buildings, but the school system struggled to keep up with the booming population of Iron River. In 1902, a new school building was planned for the site, and the Milwaukee firm of Van Ryn & DeGelleke was engaged to design the building. However, construction did not begin until 1904, when Newman & Johnson were awarded a contract to construct the school.[2] However, the new building was sufficient for only a few years, and in 1910 the school district engaged John D. Chubb of Chicago to design two wings and a boiler room, which were constructed in 1910-11. "Annexes," likely separate temporary structures, were constructed in 1923, but removed some time later.[2]
Central School served as a high school until 1928, when the district built a new high school. After that, it served as a primary and secondary school, with a fluctuating student population as the economy fluctuated and as schools were consolidated.
The school closed in 1980 and was used for storage afterward.[2] The building was purchased by the Iron River Downtown Development Authority, and they renovated it into an 18-unit cooperative housing structure,[3] known as the "Apple Blossom Apartments."[4]
Description
With its Flemish gable ends, the school is a fine example of Dutch Colonial Revival-style architecture.[5] The original building contained ten classrooms, lab and recitation space, and a 500-seat assembly hall.[2]
A contemporaneous account describes the original structure:
The Central School in Iron River is an imposing and modern structure of two stories and a basement.... It is lighted with electricity and heated with steam and hot air, the air being forced into the rooms by means of a large fan. It also includes among its improvements an electric vacuum cleaning plant in the basement, which is probably the only one in operation in an Upper Peninsula school building.[6]
The 1910-11 wings added more classrooms, as well as a music studio, commercial room, stenographic room, dark room, and offices for school district personnel.[7]
