East Ward School

East Ward School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Michigan State Historic Site
Location	106 N. Traver St., St. Johns, Michigan
Coordinates	43°00′06″N 84°32′57″W
Area	4 acres (1.6 ha)
Built	1876 (1876)
Architect	Oliver Hidden
NRHP reference No.	80001850
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	May 12, 1980
Designated MSHS	February 27, 1980

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.

History

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.

Description

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.