| Statement of Significance
In 1890 the School District #29 acquired land for $1,200 and subsequently developed a 5 room school building on the property at 46th and Reedway. In 1910, Portland Public Schools annexed the property for $12,375.00.
Named for the surrounding subdivision, the new Woodstock School was constructed in 1910 during a period of Progressive Era growth that responded to changing city demographics and ideas concerning safety, sanitation, and child centered instruction (Rippa, 1997: passim; Cremin 1961: 135-153; Cubberley 1915: 283-290). By 1905, it became increasingly clear that dramatic increases in school-age children outstripped the district’s existing classroom capacity and existing schools could not effectively serve areas of the city with new residential development (Cubberley 1915: 283-285, 288-290). Beginning in 1908, with the emergence of the Bureau of Properties, PPS district architects took on a more formalized role in the design and maintenance of school facilities. The Bureau of Properties was created by PPS to centralize management of the district’s properties (Powers and Corning 1937: 182).
It appears that Thomas J. Jones was the first architect to be employed by Portland Public Schools (PPS) and he designed the original portion of Woodstock School. Born in Wales around 1854, Thomas J. Jones came to Portland sometime before 1887. Jones was active in Portland civic life, having served on the Portland City Council. One of his most notable projects is the Captain Brown house, which was on the National Register until it was demolished. Jones is best known for his work as the architect to the Portland School Board. In this capacity, he designed many of the district’s two story frame schools that preceded the City’s 1911 fire-proof construction requirements (Ritz 2003: 217).
Woodstock Elementary School was one of the last two story schools constructed with wood frame in the city of Portland. After several well-publicized school fires in U.S. cities, calls for a more fundamental change in the building construction began as early as 1906 (Oregonian, 10-31-1906). In 1910, various city neighborhood “advancement clubs” joined forces to discuss the unfit school buildings in their respective neighborhoods (Oregonian 07-31-1910). Soon after this meeting, on August 16, 1910, the Portland City Council enacted a requirement that all schools constructed after January 1, 1911 would have to be of fire proof construction (Powers and Corning 1937: 183). By 1914, in the first joint meeting between Portland city officials, Multnomah County Commissioners, and the school board, officials agreed to work with building code officials to encourage the use of fireproof construction and to implement fire safety measures in all existing and future schools (Oregonian, 03-31-1914).
Woodstock School was constructed in the Classical Revival style that was popular for educational buildings during the first half of the twentieth-century in Portland and throughout the United States. The Classical Revival style architectural details along with Colonial Revival, Collegiate Gothic, and Beaux Arts style were viewed as inspirational and appropriate for educational settings (Betelle 1919: 28; Sibley 1923: 66; Patton 1967: 1-8).
After the completion of the first building unit a manual training building was added to the campus for $1,976.57. This building was utilized to instruct children in woodworking and other trades (Oregonian 06-21-1914). The school continued to utilize the original structure, located three blocks away, until the neighborhood began to demand improvements. In November 1915, a group of parents and neighbors requested that the Board of Education complete the facilities by erecting additional classrooms, an assembly hall, and athletic facilities (Oregonian10-21-1915). The new unit was completed for $68,278.00 in 1917 with a gymnasium and 8 new classrooms (Portland Chronology Binder). In 1926, 10 classrooms, a manual training facility, and two playsheds were added for $79,084.00. At this time the 1891 school building was demolished (Portland Chronology Binder). In January 1927 a fire caused modest damage to the roof and a classroom (Oregonian 01-17-1927).
Another classroom addition was attached to the west elevation of the building in 1954. In October 1980 another fire severely damaged the 1911 portion of the school. The community successfully campaigned to save the school from closure. Noted preservation architect George McMath led the rehabilitation project for Woodstock School. Although the building was lowered to a single story, much of the original fabric on the first floor was salvaged and restored (Oregonian. 09-06-1982).
Although there have been major alterations, Woodstock School retains sufficient integrity to still convey its significance and association with the development of education in Portland. The rehabilitation in 1984 retained interior and exterior decorative treatments and the configuration of the original lobby spaces. The Woodstock School is recommended as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) for its association with Progressive Era public school construction in Portland (Criterion A). Although the original design by Thomas J. Jones has been altered, the school embodies the distinctive characteristics of a Classical Revival style school building; therefore, it is also eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criterion C. |
