Cottonwood Falls Grade School

The Cottonwood Falls Grade School is a historic school building at 401 Maple Street in Cottonwood Falls, Kansas. The two-and-a-half story stone building was built in three stages: the original 1904 building, an addition in 1915, and a second addition for a gymnasium in 1963. The 1904 school building was one of several public improvements built in Cottonwood Falls during the Progressive Era, and it was constructed through a combination of state funding and public bond issues; the latter were needed twice, as the county initially underestimated the school's cost. The school quickly outgrew its new building, and in 1915 the county's voters approved a $12,000 bond to build an addition onto the school. While the population of Cottonwood Falls stabilized over the next few decades, statewide school consolidation efforts and new education requirements in the 1950s forced the school to consider expansion again. After voting down a new school building in 1957, the school district approved a gymnasium addition in 1962 in response to a new state physical education standard; the addition was completed the following year. The school continued to operate until 2010, when it became a victim of consolidation itself and its students were sent to the grade school in nearby Strong City.[2]

Cottonwood Falls Grade School
Cottonwood Falls Grade School is located in Kansas
Cottonwood Falls Grade School
Location401 Maple St., Cottonwood Falls, Kansas
Coordinates38°21′57″N 96°32′37″W / 38.36583°N 96.54361°W / 38.36583; -96.54361
Built1904
Built byRettiger and Norton
ArchitectJ. D. Walters
MPSPublic Schools of Kansas MPS
NRHP reference No.100006682[1]
Added to NRHPJune 28, 2021

The school was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 28, 2021.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 6/25/2021 to Through 7/1/2021". National Park Service. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  2. ^ Davis, Christy (February 22, 2021). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Cottonwood Falls Grade School" (PDF). Kansas Historical Society. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
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