National Register of Historic Places

East Ward School

St. Johns, Clinton County, Michigan
Listed
May 11, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
80001850

About this property

The East Ward School, also known as the Teresa Merrill School, was an educational building located at 106 North Traver Street in St. Johns, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It was unusual for its size and its elaborate brickwork. The school building has been replaced with a housing development and a preschool in 2003, and removed from the National Register in 2026.. The East Ward School was constructed in 1876 from plans by Bay City architect Oliver Hidden. An addition was constructed in 1906. In 1976, the school was renamed the Theresa Merrill School in honor of a former principal, and was used for adult education classes. It was replaced with a housing development and a preschool in 2003. The East Ward School was a single-story brick structure consisting of two sections: the original building, constructed in 1876, and a 1906 addition. The 1876 building was a rectangular structure, with a low hip roof with a gable at each end. A projecting entrance had an arced, recessed porch topped with another gable. The brickwork contained an elaborate decorative scheme with corbelled and paneled bricks. There were two rooms in the interior. The 1906 addition was approximately the same size as the earlier section, and also contained two rooms. It had a high hip roof and brickwork that matched that of the earlier section. A bell tower which was originally above the front entrance to the older section had been removed. In addition, the original narrow windows of the older section had been removed and replaced with wider windows which matched the newer section.

Location

106 N. Traver St.
St. Johns, Clinton County, Michigan
43.00178, -84.54888

Categories

EDUCATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Questions about this property

When was East Ward School listed on the National Register?

East Ward School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 11, 1980.

What type of historic resource is East Ward School?

East Ward School is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for East Ward School?

The period of significance for East Ward School is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near East Ward School?

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