Fossil Public School (Fossil, Oregon)

Title: Fossil Public School (Fossil, Oregon)
LC Subject: Architecture, American Architecture--United States
Alternative: Wheeler County Public School (Fossil, Oregon) Fossil Elementary School (Fossil, Oregon) Fossel Grade School (Fossil, Oregon) Fossil High School (Fossil, Oregon)
Creator: Roald, Knud A. DeYoung & Roald DeYoung, James W.
Creator Display: DeYoung & Roald (architecture firm, 1920-1930) Knud A. Roald (architect, 1878-1965) James W. DeYoung (architect, 1885-1968)
Description: This image is included in Building Oregon: Architecture of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, a digital collection which provides documentation about the architectural heritage of the Pacific Northwest. Photo by Kenneth Gunn
View: exterior: Fossil Public School north and west façades, looking southeast
Temporal: 1900-1909
Work Type: architecture (object genre) built works public schools (buildings) views (visual works) exterior views
Latitude: 44.998574
Longitude: -120.21369
Location: Wheeler County >> Oregon >> United States Oregon >> United States United States Fossil >> Wheeler County >> Oregon >> United States
Street Address: 404 Main Street
Date: 1905
Identifier: OR_WheelerCounty_FossilPublicSchool_0002
Rights: In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Rights Holder: Oregon State Historic Preservation Office
Source: Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/HCD/SHPO/
Type: Image
Format: image/jpeg
Set: Building Oregon
Primary Set: Building Oregon
Is Part Of: Fossil Public School (Fossil, Oregon)
Institution: University of Oregon
Citation: Oregon Historic Sites Database
Note: "The Fossil Public School is located at 404 Main Street in downtown Fossil, Oregon, near the intersection of First and Jay streets. Fossil is located in north-central Oregon and is the county seat for Wheeler County. The two-story building was constructed in 1924 in the Classical Revival style to serve as a grade school and high school for the city of Fossil and surrounding rural areas. The setting of the school today is very similar to how it would have looked historically, oriented toward the west on a large, double-city block overlooking downtown Fossil. The design of the school features typical elements of the Classical Revival style. The structure is in its original location, the historic site of a school in Fossil, and has not been moved. The fabric of the school building is largely original with only minor alterations to the overall building. There is one associated building on the site, on the northwest corner of the tax lot. The contributing building is a gymnasium that has served the school since its construction in 1936 with funding from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The Fossil Public School is a grade school today, housing kindergarten through eighth grade. -- HISTORY -- The Fossil Public School is locally significant and eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A for the important role it played in the educational development of the rural community from 1924 to the present. The building itself is largely unchanged since its last major renovation in 1949. The Fossil Public School is a part of School District 21 in Wheeler County. The site of the Fossil Public School has been the site of a public school in Fossil since 1882, when the first school was constructed in downtown Fossil. The building has been in continuous use as a school since its construction in 1924. The Fossil Public School is locally significant, and is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A for the significant role the school played in the educational development of the rural community since its construction in 1924. The Fossil Public School was also known as Wheeler County Public School throughout much of its history, as it housed both the grade school and high school. The school is located in downtown Fossil at 404 Main Street, near the intersection of First and Jay streets. The two-story Classical Revival-style school building is locally significant and eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A for the important role it played in the educational development of this rural community since its construction. The Period of Significance of the Fossil Public School spans from its original construction date of 1924, based on the design by DeYoung and Roald Architects from Portland, Oregon, to 1949 when the Fossil High School was built and ninth through twelfth grades were transferred to the new location, which to a degree altered the way that the building was used. The gymnasium associated with the school is a contributing resource to the site, completed with aid from the Works Progress Administration in 1936, within the Period of Significance for the school. Both the school building and gymnasium retain a high degree of integrity through original design, workmanship, and material features with no alterations to the original location or function." Source: National Register nomination. This image was included in the documentation related to a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, a program of the National Park Service. The image is provided here by the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office and the University of Oregon Libraries to facilitate scholarship, research, and teaching. For other uses, such as publication, contact the State Historic Preservation Office. Please credit the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office when using this image.