Locust Avenue School
Introduction
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This brick Romanesque Revival school building was designed by Warren Briggs in 1896 and built at a cost of $23,000. it is the last surviving 19th-century school building in Danbury and now houses the Alternative Center for Excellence (ACE). The structure was once used as a "laboratory school," or a training ground for new teachers, and its design offers insight into school architecture of the late 19th century.
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Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The Locust Avenue School is one of four similar brick schools built in Danbury during the latter half of the 19th century. The three other are:
Architect Warren Briggs designed this bright, functional school building in accordance with up-to-date school architecture practices. In 1899, he published Modern American School Buildings, a work that included Locust Avenue School.
- New Street School, built 1865, demolished 1969.
- Balmforth Avenue School, built 1881, demolished 1958.
- Morris Street School, built 19th century, old section demolished 1981, though the school itself survives.
Architect Warren Briggs designed this bright, functional school building in accordance with up-to-date school architecture practices. In 1899, he published Modern American School Buildings, a work that included Locust Avenue School.
Sources
Devlin, William, and Paulette Pepin. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form: Locust Avenue School." U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service. May 31, 1984. Accessed March 05, 2017.
https://npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/85001162.pdf.
Photo credit: Daniel Case:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alternative_Center_for_Excellence,_Danbury,_CT.jpg
https://npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/85001162.pdf.
Photo credit: Daniel Case:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alternative_Center_for_Excellence,_Danbury,_CT.jpg