| Statement of Significance
Constructed in 1913, Kenton School was part of a dramatic building program begun by Portland Public Schools in the early 1900s. Gradually influenced by John Dewey’s Progressive Education Movement, responded to changing city demographics and ideas concerning school safety, sanitation, and child centered instructional methods beginning in the first decade of the 1900s (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 where new residential development was occurring (Cubberley 1915: 283-285, 288-290).
After several well-publicized school fires elsewhere in the United States, calls for a more fundamental change in the building stock of the district began as early as 1906 when Mayor Lane called for the construction of new “fireproof” school buildings (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).
In 1908, Portland Public Schools created the Bureau of Properties in an effort to centralize the management of the district’s various properties (Powers and Corning 1937: 182). Within this office, the district architect took on a more formalized role in the design and maintenance of school facilities. Two of the most influential district architects during this period included Floyd Naramore and George Jones who designed a majority of the schools between 1908 and 1932. These new school buildings were often constructed of brick and concrete and were one or two stories in height. To speed the construction of the new schools and to anticipate later growth in the neighborhood, these new buildings were often constructed in units (sometimes referred to as extensible schools) (Powers and Corning 1937: 182). The buildings also contained more differentiated and increasingly specialized instructional spaces such as libraries, gymnasiums, science rooms, music rooms, as well as assembly spaces (Powers and Corning 1937: 182). The architectural details of the new schools were largely encompassed by the Classical Revival, Colonial Revival, and Collegiate Gothic styles; architectural revivals that were viewed as inspirational and appropriate for educational settings (Betelle 1919: 28; Sibley 1923: 66; Patton 1967: 1-8). Between the onset of the Great Depression in 1929 and World War II in 1941, few schools were constructed in Portland, although several schools were recipients of Works Progress Administration funding for artwork, additions, system updates, and playground improvements.
The architect of Kenton School, Floyd Archibald Naramore, was adept in the requirements of school design from his tenure as architect and superintendent of school properties for Portland Public Schools. A native of Illinois, Naramore attended the University of Wisconsin and graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1907. Naramore’s first employment after his arrival in Portland in 1909 was as an engineer for the Northwest Bridge Works. In 1912 Naramore began his tenure at Portland Public Schools, which would continue until 1919. During this period, Naramore designed 16 schools for the district including the Kennedy School, which gained notoriety as a single story response to the issue of fire safety in American public schools (Evening Telegram 11-03-1915).
Naramore’s success with Portland Public Schools led to a similar position in Seattle, where he designed many of the city’s most renowned schools. Architect Victor Steinbrueck, credits Naramore for producing the best quality Motor Age architecture in the Puget Sound area (Vaughan and Feriday; Space Style and Structure, 1974: 508). Naramore subsequently founded several private architectural partnerships in the Seattle area. The best known firm, Naramore, Bain, Brady & Johansen (or NBB&J) had early success designing large World War II building projects. In the last half century, the firm grew into one of the largest architectural practices in the world (Ritz 2003: 293).
Designed to be expanded over time, Kenton School has evolved following the unit plan developed by Naramore. The school property was acquired for $9,200.00 in 1909 and the original building was constructed in 1913 for $74,168 (PPS School Chronology Binder). Originally developed in 1911 as a company town for the Swift Meat Packing Company, Kenton grew rapidly due to the extensive meat packing facility and associated stockyards located near railroad lines (MacColl 1976: 466; Lutino 2001: E3-E6). The original Kenton school was designed as an extensible school to accommodate the continued growth of the neighborhood. An additional building unit was added in 1922-1923 to the north of the main section. Kenton expanded once again in 1928 to include a gymnasium and auditorium. The south unit was never erected but the south gable end was sheathed with brick sometime after the 1922-1923 addition (PPS Photographic Archives). The terra cotta for the 1928 unit was supplied by at least two of the largest terra cotta manufacturers in the Pacific Northwest during the period; Gladding McBean and Co. of Auburn, Washington and the Denny Renton Co. of Seattle, Washington (PPS Historic Photographs Collection). In order to accommodate the growing numbers of school children in the neighborhood after World War II, the portable buildings were added in 1947 and 1948. Kitchen facilities were added at the north side of the gymnasium in 1954.
Kenton School is a nearly complete example of the unit plan school implemented throughout Portland during the tenure of Naramore as Superintendent of Building. The major additions to the school were planned by Naramore and implemented by his successor George Howell Jones. In comparison with other Portland schools during the same period and constructed of similar styles, the building retains a high degree of integrity and is therefore eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A as an example of school planning and the use of the extensible school type to accommodate the rapidly expanding population of Portland. The school is significant as an extensible school building type and is significant under Criterion C. While the building is notable for its Mediterranean Revival style terra cotta detailing, superior examples of the style are found in other schools such as at Irvington. |
