A look at the history of public school buildings in Moorhead from 1930-1958
December 31, 2018
Moorhead Area Public Schools had substantial growth from 1930 to 1958 as the number of graduates nearly tripled. This increase in student population created a need of more school buildings.
The first school built during this era was Central Junior High, which was built on the entire block south of Main Avenue between 10th and 11th Street: the current site of the downtown Hornbacher’s. Built during the middle of the Depression, the building qualified for money as part of the Public Works Administration (PWA) program initiated by President Roosevelt’s New Deal. On Nov. 24, 1936, the district received a telegram announcing the district had received a federal grant for $122,000 or 45 percent of the construction cost for the school. Grades 7-9 occupied the school in January 1938, and a formal dedication took place in February 1938.
Glenn Melvey, a 2018 inductee to the Moorhead High School Hall of Honor, was an eighth-grader when Central opened, and he remembered how bright and light the rooms felt.
The academic wing was a three-story L-shaped configuration. The building also contained a large auditorium and gymnasium on the north side of the school. The gym had seating for 3,000 spectators and was home to many district 23 basketball tournament games. Most Spud basketball games were played in the Central gym since the Moorhead High (Townsite) gym was too small.
Watch a video of a 1950s Spud basketball game played in the Central Junior High gymnasium at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGy344H7E_w.
Floor plans of Central can be seen on the Moorhead Spud History Facebook page.
Central Junior High would go through several grade configurations during its use. From 1958 to 1967 it was referred to as the “East Building” of Moorhead Senior High School. Most sophomore classes were held there while junior and senior classes were held at the “West Building” or Townsite. From 1968 to its closing in 1979, Central Junior High was one of three junior highs in Moorhead along with North and South Junior Highs.
Following the end of World War II, several new elementary schools were needed due to the baby boom generation. Six elementary schools were built for Moorhead students during the 1950s: Riverside, George Washington, Sharp, Thomas Edison, Georgetown and Sabin.
The first elementary school built during this era was the northside school, later named George Washington. This two-story elementary school was located on the corner of 14th Street and 10th Avenue North, straight east of today’s Robert Asp Elementary School. Construction photos reveal how few homes were located in this neighborhood prior to Washington being built. But like today’s new school construction, residential homes soon occupied nearly every block north and east of the school site. George Washington opened its doors in April 1952 and served students and families in the district until 2004.
Riverside Elementary opened in the fall of 1952 at 310 14th Ave. S., about a block southwest of the Concordia College campus. This building helped ease the congestion of the other elementary school in this part of town: Park School. Riverside, like the other elementary schools built during this era, went through several renovations throughout its service to the district. Originally the school had just six classrooms, a gymnasium/cafeteria, and an office suite located in the southeast corner of the school. School Board minutes reveal that Riverside was originally meant to be a two-story building, but due to soil samples the contractor changed the design to a one-story building because the soil, being so close to the Red River, could not support a two-story structure. Riverside was used as a school until 2004. Currently, Riverside is used by Concordia College for office space and Cobber Kids daycare and preschool.
Sharp Elementary School was built the during the same time as Washington and Riverside. Previously, elementary students in this part of Moorhead attended Moorhead High School on Eighth Street where elementary classrooms were located on the first floor east hallway. The new Sharp Elementary School was built on the corner of 10th Avenue and 3rd Street South and was named for Judge James Sharp who, along with Reverend Oscar Elmer, organized the first school in Moorhead in the early 1870s. During the building’s dedication ceremony, Edgar Sharp gave a rousing speech about his father James Sharp and presented the school with a portrait of his father. Sharp School was closed due to declining enrollment in May 1979 and sold to the city of Moorhead. The building is now used as a senior citizen apartment complex. The original flag pole can still be seen on the southeast corner of the property.
Thomas Edison, which opened in 1955, was the final elementary school to be built in Moorhead city limits during this era. A growing population south and east of the MSUM campus (known at the time as Moorhead State Teachers College) created a need for a school in this neighborhood. Located at 14th Street and 12th Avenue South, the design was similar to Riverside. The one-story school contained one hallway of classrooms, one gym/cafeteria with a small stage, and an office area on the southwest corner of the school. Edison received two additions during its years of service: an additional gymnasium straight east of its initial gym, and a long hallway worth of classrooms on the north side. During the district’s 2004 restructuring, Thomas Edison was closed and sold to developers.
As the baby boom generation moved through Moorhead elementary schools, the need for additional space at the junior high level became evident. The School Board made mention of this several times during the 1954 school year. A bond vote overwhelmingly passed in May 1956 to build two identical junior high schools: one on the north side, and one on the south side. North Junior High and South Junior High opened in the fall of 1958 for students in grades 7-9.
Built in a sleek, modern style, these identical buildings contained the most modern design elements of the time including a centralized, outdoor courtyard to be used for a learning space, a two-sided stage that opened to both the gymnasium and cafeteria, and a covered bus unloading area.
These buildings are both still in use today as Ellen Hopkins Elementary and Robert Asp Elementary. The centralized courtyard was located where the library media center is today, and the two-sided stage has been bricked off and is now used as storage for the cafeteria. The covered bus unloading area was removed during the extensive remodeling that took place in 2004.
Moorhead Area Public Schools was reorganized in 1956 to include several country school districts. To help with this transition, elementary schools were built in both Sabin and Georgetown. The construction projects were part of the 1956 bond vote that built North and South Junior Highs. Georgetown and Sabin’s elementary schools were used until declining enrollment forced the district to close them in 1979 and 1981 respectively.
Besides the schools mentioned in this article, Moorhead students continued to use Moorhead High School (at the Townsite location), Park School, Lincoln elementary, and the first ward school. As the 1950s came to a close Moorhead had nine elementary schools, three junior highs, and one high school.
This is a continuation of a series of articles on the history of Moorhead Area Public Schools. For suggestions or comments, please contact Brian Cole at bcole@moorheadschools.org.
Photo:
Central Junior High
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