YESTERDAY, THE SCHOOL:

The original School No. 24 was located across the street from the present building, on the corner of Meigs and Linden Streets. Currently, there is a city playground on the former site.

Drill team practice for Ellwanger and Barry School, c. 1877

Boys of the Ellwanger and Barry School No. 24 are dressed in uniforms while they practice drills on a field. Someone, possibly Colonel Samual Moulthrop, is carrying a flag.

"School Exercise"

From the Albert R. Stone Negative Collection,
Rochester Museum & Science Center,
Rochester, NY

George Ellwanger's Monument:
St. John on the Isle of Patmos

Sculpted by Nicola Cantalamessa-Papotti, 1874
(Located in Mount Hope Cemetery)

The land for the school was donated by George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry, who were the founders of the Mt. Hope Nursery. It consisted of Grades K-6 in the main building and a separate nursery school located adjacently on Crawford Street.

The "new" School No. 24, was a forerunner of many one-story schools to be built in Rochester and around the country. It was built as a "safety-first" school, with a separate exit for each classroom. This decision came about in response to a serious fire at Rochester's old School #3; thus the architectural plan to construct the school to a height of a single story in contrast to the multi-story schools common at the time. In his report to the School Board, the architect, Edwin S. Gordon stated, "It will be, as far as I know, the first grammar school of this type in the country."

THE TRANSITION:

Whether this was the 1st of its kind or not, Gordon's unique design enabled Developer Lowell Colvin, some 77 years later, to propose to the City Council of Rochester, NY, that he be permitted to buy the school following its closure in 1979. His plan was to create 18 condominium units with the convenient feature, that each unit be accessible directly from street level. This only augmented all the other architectural features of the School that helped win it a listing in the State and National Register of Historic Places. Click on the certificate to view larger format.

TODAY,
THE CONDOMINIUM:

The salient feature that sets the School 24 Condominium apart from other readapted buildings is the street-level entrances that each condominium unit enjoys.

This feature derives from the basic "safety-first" design of the Ellwanger and Barry School, so that each classroom could be planned with an access door directly to the outside.

(Stay tuned for more to come!!!)

 

View of a Condominium Unit