Clermont Public School, also known as Larrabee School, is a historic building located in Clermont, Iowa, United States. The school was named for its patron, William Larrabee, who was the twelfth Governor of Iowa. Larrabee himself had been a teacher in Allamakee County, Iowa. During his time in the Iowa Senate and as governor he championed education reform. He used as one of his campaign slogans: "A schoolhouse on every hill and no saloons in the valley."[2] Larrabee and his wife Anna studied school buildings for a number of years, and were involved in planning this building. They hired Cedar Rapids, Iowa architect Charles A. Dieman to design the structure. R.A. Wallace, a contractor from Cedar Rapids, was responsible for its construction. The building was over-engineered as Larrabee insisted that the strength of everything be doubled.[2] The bricks were produced, and the limestone was quarried, locally. It is a two-story Neoclassical building that features a classical portico, brick pilasters with Doric capitals, and two arched dormers on the hipped roof.
Clermont Public School | |
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| Location | 505 Larrabee St. Clermont, Iowa |
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| Coordinates | 43°0′03.7″N 91°39′11.6″W / 43.001028°N 91.653222°W |
| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1912-1913 |
| Built by | R.A. Wallace |
| Architect | Charles A. Dieman |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 95001316[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 22, 1995 |
Larrabee died while the building was under construction, and his wife, Anna Matilda Larrabee, took over supervising its construction. From 1913 to 1924, it housed all grades until a high school was built. It remained as an elementary school until 1990 when the city of Clermont acquired the building for use as a public library and city hall. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ a b Robert C. Vogel. "Clermont Public School". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-10-20. with photos
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