Mabel McDowell Elementary School

Mabel McDowell Elementary School is a complex made up of five separate one-story buildings that are linked by landscaped courtyards and covered and trellised walkways (see Site Plan). The buildings have multiple pyramidal roofs that mark each classroom and other major spaces. The plan is biaxially symmetrical, with four classroom buildings arranged around a central building that contains common areas. The principal façade of the central structure faces south.

The complex is located in the center of a flat site (photo 1). There are play areas on either side of the complex surrounded by mature plane trees. On three sides, the property is bounded by city streets (McClure on the east, McKinley on the south, and Gladstone on the west). The neighborhood is mostly small houses of mixed age, dating from the nineteenth century through the 1960s. The north side of the property adjoins Garland Brook Cemetery.

The buildings have exposed steel frames with roof decks of exposed Tectum decking. They are built on concrete slabs. The steel frame is almost entirely welded with ground welds. Windows are steel sash with large single-glazed panes (photos 4 and 6). The bottom 18 inches of the sash are in-filled with white porcelain-enamel panels (photos 2 and 4). Most of the window area is fixed glass, though typically in each structural bay there is a tall, narrow outward-operating casement unit. Most of the exterior walls in the classroom buildings are glass. Classroom building walls facing the courtyards are pressed red brick with a sanded surface. In the auditorium and cafeteria, most of the walls are brick. The south wall of the cafeteria that faces the inner courtyard is glass (photo 4). The pitched roofs are covered with asphalt shingles, as they were originally, though these are replacements. Existing shingles are a pinkish-brown. Color of the originals is not known.

The four clusters of one-story classroom buildings are arranged off the corners of the common building. In plan, the common building is a cross with a courtyard in the center (see Floor Plan). The dominant part of the cross are the two pyramidal-roofed structures containing the multipurpose room (south; right in photo 1) and the cafeteria/kitchen (north; right in photo 4). A kindergarten on the east and office wing on the west (left in photo 4) are smaller, flat-roofed parts of the cross. The courtyard (photo 4) that links these four areas is a paved and landscaped rectangle measuring approximately 56 by 70 feet. Courtyard paving is concrete and brick; the landscape material consists of perennial and annual flowers in two raised beds. In its original form, it appears that the concrete was the only paving, and the beds and brick-paved areas were planted with ornamental trees.

The multi-purpose room and cafeteria are ringed by wide circulation zones, delineated by the structural system of exposed wide-flange steel columns and beams (see Floor Plan). On the sides facing the courtyard, glass is used as an infill to form corridors. On the outside of these rooms, the glass is omitted, and loggias are formed. An outer loop of loggias extends from these loggias surrounding the cafeteria and multi-purpose room to connect with the classroom buildings at their vestibules.

The multi-purpose room structure is square in plan and capped with a pyramidal roof (right in photo 1). The upper portion of the roof is a skylight with a needle-like steel finial about six feet high. Walls enclosing this room are load-bearing brick. Windows with steel sash extend from the floor to the ceiling on the east and west sides. There are no openings on the south, or front of the building. Access to the room is from the circulation area on the north, off the courtyard. The multi-purpose room has been adapted to serve as a cosmetology instructional area. It has been divided into several rooms, and a suspended ceiling has been installed. The skylight that caps the pyramid is still in place, but is no longer visible from the inside.

The cafeteria structure is similar in form to the multi-purpose room (right in photo 4). It lacks a skylight, but does have a finial like that noted above. The structure is divided in half, and the south side is the cafeteria, facing the courtyard. Half of the north side originally served as the kitchen, and the other half as a classroom. Partitions have been added in the cafeteria and a commercial kitchen fills part of the space.

Each of the classroom buildings (photo 2) is a separate building that is linked to the common areas by covered and trellised walkways. The buildings each contain three classrooms arranged in an “L”, and a pyramidal roof covers every classroom. The classrooms are treated as pavilions linked by low, flat-roofed, brick-clad service areas containing restrooms and storage rooms. Entry to the classrooms is through the service area for each building, through a glazed, L-shaped vestibule that links directly to the covered walkways.

In the classrooms, as in the main group areas, space and structure are highly integrated, and structure is expressed throughout. As in the main group areas, where a wall is glazed, the glass is treated as an infill between wide-flange steel columns. The columns support a perimeter wide flange beam that in turn supports the steel members of the open, pyramidal roof (photo 6). The ceiling is painted Tectum decking, and rises from about 9 feet at the perimeter to about 15 feet at the center. Eight original pendant incandescent light fixtures are suspended from the Tectum decking. Two entire walls are glazed and the glazing wraps around onto the adjacent walls. The remaining wall area is painted concrete block with green chalkboards. Because the columns are held in from the corners about four feet, the rooms have three glazed corners, giving the classroom a remarkable openness.

All classrooms, the administration block, and the kindergarten block are sheltered by painted wood trellis brise-soleils (photo 3). The trellises are supported by steel angles that cantilever off the steel frame of the roof. All trellises are intact, but the wood is weathered and exhibits signs of rot in places.

The classroom building vestibule intrudes into one corner of the classroom as a wood and glass bay with a door in one side. In the primary grades, restrooms are accessed from the classroom. In the upper grades, they are accessed from the vestibule. Over each chalkboard in the classrooms is an indirect strip fluorescent light fixture that appears to be original. Fin-tube radiant heat enclosures run beneath all the windows. There is a fan-coil unit for cooling that is more recent. Floors are carpeted, but were asphalt tile originally.

Because of the amount of glass in the building, the white roll-down blinds are especially dominant elements, both from the inside and out (photos 2 and 6). The blinds replaced the original draperies, which were boldly geometric on the interior, but lined in white fabric on the side facing the exterior.

The walkways that link the classroom buildings to the common area have concrete sidewalks, and steel columns and beams (photo 5). The east-west walkways have flat roofs with wood fascias. The north-south walkways have unpainted boards laid flat on the original beams. These boards replaced the original trelliswork.

McDowell school is generally in good condition. It has been kept well painted, and very little rust was noted on the steel frame and windows. Deterioration was not noted, as might be expected, where columns die into the concrete slabs. The masonry is in good condition. Some concrete slabs in the courtyards have lifted and cracked but floor slabs, even where exposed to weather, are in good condition. The shingle roof is in good condition, except on one of the classroom buildings where it is in poor condition. The steel portions of the trellises are in good condition, but the wood is in poor condition. The original interior finishes were durable, and are in good condition, as are the doors, windows, and hardware.

McDowell retains a high degree of integrity, though there have been some relatively minor interior alterations to adapt the building for the current use. The exterior of the building is unaltered, except for the replacement of walkway trellises with boards. Inside the building, air conditioning has been added. As noted previously, partitions have been added and the ceiling lowered in the multi-purpose room. Partitions have also been added in part of the cafeteria/kitchen area. These interior changes are reversible. Otherwise, inside the building, the historic configuration and materials remain intact.

The arrangement of classroom structures and the common building form five outdoor courtyards. The plan is similar in form to the basic cross-axial plan of an Islamic paradise garden. The side is bounded by plane trees that date from the time of construction. There is little other landscape material remaining, save a few ornamental trees in some of the courtyards. The courtyards consist of geometric concrete pads, benches (concrete with wood slats), and some plantings. The original pavement exists in the courtyards (photos 4 and 5), although it is in poor condition. The center courtyard has been changed (photo 4), and no original plantings appear to remain.

The original landscape plan shows some elements that were not fully developed (see Site Plan). Earthberms were to enclose playground spaces to the east and west of the school but were apparently never built. There is some massing of trees at the perimeter of the property, which partially accomplishes the intended effect of enclosed outdoor space. Parking and drives on site bear little resemblance to those proposed in the original site plan. They are, however, not intrusive, and match the informal aesthetic of the rest of the site. Original asphalt playground areas on the east and west sides are now used for parking.

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