Rochester City School #24 - Rochester, NY
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member sagefemme
N 43° 08.213 W 077° 36.049
18T E 288477 N 4779298
This one-story Spanish Colonial Revival building at the corner of Meigs St and Linden Ave was built in 1913 as an elmentary school launched the safe schools movement here in Rochester and across the country. It is now a condominium.
Waymark Code: WME6XC
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 04/11/2012
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member silverquill
Views: 3

"The original School #24 consisted of six classrooms built in 1877... on land donated by the pioneer Rocester hortculturists, George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry." In 1913, Ellwangr and Barry donated a new parcel of land across the street from the original to build thi replacement for the obsolete original.

In 1912, a tragic fire destroying the original School #3 had heightened safety awarenss, and architect Edwin S. Gordon was hired to create a safer model. Gordon with all of the most prestigius architects in Rochester at his time thrugh his career, including Claude Bragdon, J. Foster Warner and William Kaelber.

School #24, also known as Ellwanger and Barry #24, became a forerunner of the "Safety First" school movement in Rochester and across the country. Each classroom of this one-story Spanish Colonial Revival building had its own door. The plan resembles a Roman house with an enclosed atrium, and is roofed wih red Spanish tile, and the walls are treated with stucco. This design is very common in the American mid-west today.

This design, especially the individual doors to the outside, lent itself very well to conversion into condominium space. This conversion was aided by tax incentives for certified rehabilitation of historic buildings.

P.S. Mention of the "tragic" fire at School #3 made me curious to learn if there was loss of life. Although the fire occurred during the school day, but the fire alarm sounded, and the building was evacuated in about one minute, with no casualtis. I guess the tragedy was that the building was farely new, so the property loss was deeply felt.
Street address:
Meigs St
Rochester, NY USA


County / Borough / Parish: Monroe County

Year listed: 1983

Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture

Periods of significance: 1900-1924

Historic function: education

Current function: multiple dwelling

Privately owned?: yes

Primary Web Site: [Web Link]

Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]

Season start / Season finish: Not listed

Hours of operation: Not listed

Secondary Website 2: Not listed

National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.
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sagefemme visited Rochester City School #24 - Rochester, NY 04/13/2012 sagefemme visited it