Submitted photo - Built in 1892, Madison School,
759 Madison Ave., was named
after U.S. President
James Madison. The school closed in 1986. A Head
Start facility now occupies the site.
Published:
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
11:30 AM CDT
The
first Council Bluffs school buildings were built in 1864. Since then,
at least 50 buildings have been erected and dedicated to the education
of area youngsters.
While the records are incomplete, this list
of known schools includes year of construction, location of the school,
namesake and ultimate disposition whenever possible.
1864: First Ward School, 120 E. Pierce St. Renamed Stutsman School
after J.B. Stutsman. Sold in 1886 and became a residence.
1864: Fourth Ward School, Willow Avenue and Seventh Street. Replaced in
1880 by Bloomer School.
1864:
Washington School, named for President George Washington. Also known as
Mill School or Atkins, Washington Avenue and North Main. Replaced in
1954 by a new Washington School at 207 Scott St.
1867: Court
Street School, Court Street and Cherry, now 15th Street and First
Avenue. Also known as 15th Street School and Pig Tail School. Closed in
1894.
1867: Franklin Pierce School, Frank and Thomas streets.
Named for President Franklin Pierce. A new school was built in 1884,
but the 1889-1890 lists the “East Pierce School” along with the Pierce
Street School., and cited the location as “East Pierce and Little
Frank.”
1869: Center School, South Sixth and 13th. Sold in 1883.
1871:
Council Bluffs High School, Fifth Avenue and Glen. Although unclear,
this may also be the “Hill school” or “High School on High School
Avenue” noted in directories from 1889-90 and 1893-94. Replaced in 1900
by a new Council Bluffs High School building, which became the first
Kirn Junior High School. Destroyed by fire in 1976.
1877: Clark School, Bennett and Franklin avenues. Named for Col. Daniel
B. Clark, closed.
1877: McMillen, 16th Street and Eighth Avenue. Named for James
McMillen, an early Bluffs school board secretary. Closed in 1951.
1879: Woodbury School, Woodbury and South Avenue. Vacated in 1901.
1880:
Bloomer School, Seventh and Willow Avenue. Named for Dexter Bloomer,
the first Bluffs school board president and Amelia Bloomer’s husband.
Replaced in 1953 by the current structure at 210 S. Seventh St.
1880:
Avenue B School, Avenue B and 25th Street, also known as Streetville
School for Bluffs judge Frank Street. According to several former
students, the school remained in use until the early 1980s, when it was
torn down to build Dudley Court housing.
1880: Gunn School,
Linden and North Broadway. Named for farmer Levi Gunn, who had owned
the land upon which the school was built. Replaced in 1924 by the
current Gunn building at 1735 N. Broadway.
1882: Eighth Street
School or Hall school, Eighth Street and Avenue G. Replaced in 1953 by
a new school, renamed the Mathew Tinley school for military man and
doctor Mathew Tinley. Now the Kanesville Alternative Learning
Center at 807 Ave. G.
1883: Longfellow School, 20th Avenue and
South 10th Street. Named for poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Replaced
in 1939 by the current Longfellow school building at 2011 S. 10th St.
1884: Pierce Street School, East Pierce and Franklin streets. Closed in
1950.
1884:
Third Street School, Third Street and 11th Avenue. Renamed General
Dodge School after Union Pacific Railroad chief construction engineer,
Gen. Grenville Dodge. Closed in 1975.
1890: Second Avenue School, 23rd Street and Second Avenue.
1891: Harrison School, Harrison Street and McGee Avenue. Named for
President William Henry Harrison. Closed in 1975.
1892:
Courtland Place School, Locust Street and Courtland Beach in Carter
Lake. Removed from the Council Bluffs school district in 1929, replaced
by the Carter Lake School at 1105 Redick Blvd. in 1950, and returned to
the district in 1966.
1892: Madison School, 759 Madison Ave.
Name for President James Madison. Closed in 1986. A Head Start facility
now occupies the site.
1893: Thirty-Second Street School, 32nd
Street and Ave. C. Later named Franklin School after Benjamin Franklin.
Replaced by a new Franklin school structure at 3130 Ave. C in 1975.
1907:
Roosevelt School, 517 N. 17th St. Named for President Theodore
Roosevelt, still in use after multiple additions. A 1966 fire destroyed
most of the older section. Only the 1952 section was salvaged when the
school was rebuilt.
1908: Oak Street School, Oak and Broadway. Sold in 1950.
1917:
Edison School, 2218 Third Ave. Named for inventor Thomas Alva Edison.
Addition built in 1951, older section demolished in 1985.
1921:
Thomas Jefferson High School, 2501 W. Broadway. Named for President
Thomas Jefferson. Still in use after major renovations.
1924: Rue School, 3326 Sixth Ave. Named for educator James R. Rue.
Still in use.
1926: Walnut Grove School, 2920 Ave. J. Named because it originally
stood amid a grove of walnut trees. Still in use.
1950: Hoover, 1205 N. Broadway. Named for President Herbert Hoover.
Still in use.
1957:
Pusey school, 147 15th Ave. Named for Harvard educator and Council
Bluffs native Nathan M. Pusey. Will close after the current school year.
1957:
DeForest school, 29th Street and Ninth Avenue. Named for inventor Lee
F. DeForest. Sold in 1985, repurchased in 2009 for temporary classroom
use while Bluffs schools are renovated.
1957: Lewis & Clark, 1603 Grand Ave. Named for explorers
Meriweather Lewis and William Clark. Still in use.
1957:
Peterson School, 26th Avenue and South Ninth Street. Named for Iowa
Supreme Court justice Henry K. Peterson. School closed in 1986,
facility is now Area Education Agency 13’s Peterson Center.
1957:
Myers School, 37th Street and Avenue G. Named for 29-year Thomas
Jefferson High School Principal Ray F. Myers. Closed in 1986.
1958: Crescent School, 401 E. Welch in Crescent. Still in use.
1960:
Abraham Lincoln High School, 1205 Bonham Ave. Named for President
Abraham Lincoln. Still in use, undergoing major renovations.
1961: Lake School, 3610 No. Broadway. Closed in 1981. Now Heartland
Therapeutic School.
1961: Woodrow Wilson, 715 N. 21st St. Named for President Woodrow
Wilson. Now Wilson Middle School.
1966: Glendale merged with Council Bluffs school district. Sold in 2007.
1966: Sunnydale merged with Council Bluffs school district. Closed in
1981.
1972:
Tucker Vocational Education Center, 815 N. 18th St. Named for longtime
educator Harmon Tucker. Still in use but now known as the Tucker
College and Career Center.
1979: Kirn Junior High, 100 North
Ave. named for longtime Abraham Lincoln High School Principal Gerald W.
Kirn. Now Kirn Middle School.
No details:
According to
the 1889-90 city directory: There was a Hill School on High School
Avenue; a 20th Avenue School at 20th Avenue and South Ninth Street; and
an Eighth Avenue School, also known as Centre School, at Eighth Avenue
and 16th Street.