Mayer Red Brick Schoolhouse
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Mayer Red Brick Schoolhouse | |
 Building in 2008 | |
   | |
| Location | Mayer, Arizona |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°24′0″N 112°14′24″W / 34.40000°N 112.24000°W |
| Built | 1914 |
| Built by | Jow Petit |
| Architect | W.S. Elliott |
| Architectural style | Schoolhouse |
| Restored | 2003–2008 |
| Restored by | Mayer Unified School District |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000719[1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 21, 2004 |
Mayer Red Brick Schoolhouse is a building in Mayer, Arizona. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2004.[1] It is considered the longest used schoolhouse in Arizona, having been in operation for over eighty years.[2] Due to its physical mass and prominent hillside location, it is "the most visible and identifiable building" in the small unincorporated town and the town's largest building.[3]
It was designed by architect W.S. Elliott and constructed by Prescott, Arizona contractor Joe Petit for $9,000 to $10,000 on land donated by the town's founder, Joe Mayer. Since its completion in 1915, it was continuously used as a school, except for 1982–1987,[4] until 2002 when it was condemned by the fire marshal.[5] It became a fully accredited high school in the 1930s with the installation of indoor plumbing. It was not used as a high school after 1981. Elementary students continued to attend from 1988 to 2002. When constructed, the building faced the town's main street (called Main Street) but the street was later moved to the rear of the building.[5] It also faced the tracks of the Prescott and Eastern Railroad until they were removed in 1949.[3] After a historic restoration in the early 2000s, the building is now used for Mayer Unified School District administrative offices and as a Sheriff's substation.
The building is a typical school building of the era in which it was built. It has a hipped roof and concrete foundation with walls at least 13 inches (330 mm) thick, many windows, and a bell tower on the roof. It has a prominent entrance on the north side featuring double doors with sidelights and a transom in an elaborate arched opening. Exterior walls are red brick, hence the name Red Brick Schoolhouse. The interior has maple-strip flooring and an oak staircase.[3]
History
School enrollment increased rapidly in the early 1910s, prompting the Yavapai County Superintendent of Schools to conclude that the existing school was overcrowded and a larger school building was needed. The citizens passed a municipal bond to pay for a new school. The new school was to be located on the site of the existing school, the hilltop location previously donated by Joe Mayer. This necessitated the moving of the existing wooden school. Construction of the new building began in 1914 and was completed the next year. The bricks used were made in Mayer. The building had coal-fired heating, a ventilation system, electric lights, and initially served eighty students in four classrooms. Three classrooms taught students in two or three grades and the fourth was for high school students (grades nine and ten initially and nine to twelve beginning in the 1930s). The first high school graduation took place on May 19, 1933, with two graduates.[3]
The 1930s brought the addition of an outdoor basketball court built by the Yavapai County highway department and saw the building used for town entertainment as weekly movies were shown in the large second floor.[3]
Lunchroom
Local legend states that the building originally had no basement until local hard rock miners excavated under the completed building. They were motivated to do this in order to provide space for the students to eat as there was no other space for a lunchroom and the community had no funds for expansion. Their volunteer effort, thought impossible by some, was done over several months when they were not at work in the local mines.[5]
