Old First District School, Prospect Hill Historic District, Mount Auburn, Cincinnati, OH
Built in 1866-1868, this Italianate-style building was designed by William H. Stewart and William Walter to serve as the First District Public School, which served the modern-day Pendleton, Over-the-Rhine, and Mount Auburn neighborhoods in Cincinnati. Located on Liberty Street, now Liberty Hill, the four-story red brick building features a multi-gabled roof, bracketed cornice, gable parapets with stone finials, stone window hoods, replacement windows, a rough-hewn stone base, metal balconies on the side facades, a front entrance with a decorative stone trim surround that includes a pediment, and landscaped garden courtyards on the east and west sides of the building. In 1911, the building suffered a fire that damaged the front wing and destroyed the roof, necessitating a reconstruction of this part of the building. In 1914, the First District School was closed, as it was consolidated with a few nearby schools into the Rothenberg School in Over-the-Rhine. After it ceased to function as an elementary school, the building housed the Boys Special School, a vocational high school, which remained in the building until the early 1940s. In 1918, it was temporarily utilized as barracks for cadets training to serve in World War I. In 1945, the building was auctioned into private ownership, and was converted into 24 apartments to address the housing shortage due to veterans returning from World War II. The building became vacant by 1978, when a project to convert it into condominiums began, which was completed in 1980. The building is a contributing structure in the Prospect Hill Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and today continues to serve as a residential condominium, and is the oldest still-standing school building in the city of Cincinnati.
Old First District School, Prospect Hill Historic District, Mount Auburn, Cincinnati, OH
Built in 1866-1868, this Italianate-style building was designed by William H. Stewart and William Walter to serve as the First District Public School, which served the modern-day Pendleton, Over-the-Rhine, and Mount Auburn neighborhoods in Cincinnati. Located on Liberty Street, now Liberty Hill, the four-story red brick building features a multi-gabled roof, bracketed cornice, gable parapets with stone finials, stone window hoods, replacement windows, a rough-hewn stone base, metal balconies on the side facades, a front entrance with a decorative stone trim surround that includes a pediment, and landscaped garden courtyards on the east and west sides of the building. In 1911, the building suffered a fire that damaged the front wing and destroyed the roof, necessitating a reconstruction of this part of the building. In 1914, the First District School was closed, as it was consolidated with a few nearby schools into the Rothenberg School in Over-the-Rhine. After it ceased to function as an elementary school, the building housed the Boys Special School, a vocational high school, which remained in the building until the early 1940s. In 1918, it was temporarily utilized as barracks for cadets training to serve in World War I. In 1945, the building was auctioned into private ownership, and was converted into 24 apartments to address the housing shortage due to veterans returning from World War II. The building became vacant by 1978, when a project to convert it into condominiums began, which was completed in 1980. The building is a contributing structure in the Prospect Hill Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and today continues to serve as a residential condominium, and is the oldest still-standing school building in the city of Cincinnati.