- City:
- Davenport, IA
- Site Type:
- Education and Health, Schools
- New Deal Agencies:
- Public Works Funding, Public Works Administration (PWA)
- Completed:
- 1940
- Designer:
- Howard S. Muesse
- Contractor:
- Langlois Construction Co.
- Quality of Information:
- Very Good
- Marked:
- Yes
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
The PWA provided funds for the construction of Lincoln School in 1940. From Wikipedia:
In addition to Lincoln, the new elementary schools included Monroe, Madison, Washington, Jefferson, and McKinley. Lincoln was the only new facility to be built on the location of one of the older buildings.
The floor plans for all six school buildings was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Smith & Childs, and they are all similar in layout. Local architects were employed to design the stylistic features for each building. Davenport architect Howard S. Muesse was chosen for Lincoln School. The building was constructed by Langlois Construction Co. Ground for the new building was broken in 1939 and classes were begun in 1940.
The school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
Contributor note, July 11, 2018: When the school opened in the 1940s, the neighborhood (just on the edge of downtown) was still densely populated. By the 1970s, the population in the neighborhood had declined so much that it couldn’t support a standard “neighborhood” school. Lincoln School was subsequently converted to a special facility and re-named Lincoln Fundamental School. For 20-30 years, Lincoln Fundamental served as a special enrollment school—open to all in the district, but with a special focus. In the early 2000s, that purpose was no longer suitable, and the school was closed.
Source notes
Marlene Gantt, “Many projects grew out of the Great Depression,” Dispatch-Argus, Quad Cities Online, May 9, 2009, accessed August 13, 2014.
“History of relief work in Iowa,” Des Moines Register (research by Kelli Morris), Fenruary 22, 2009, https://www.public.iastate.edu/~nscentral/mr/09/0227/aaTxt/reliefwork.txt, accessed August 13, 2014.
“City Schools for Iowa,” State Historical Society of Iowa, September 2002, https://www.iowahistory.org/historic-preservation/assets/City%20Schools.v2.pdf, accessed August 13, 2014.
Lincoln School, National Register of Historic Places, Registration Form, 2002 (https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/02001239_text), accessed July 11, 2018.
Site originally submitted by Brent McKee - wpatoday.org on July 11, 2015.
Additional contributions by Gates Thomas, July 11, 2018.
Contribute to this Site
We welcome contributions of additional information on any New Deal site.
Submit More Information or Photographs for this New Deal Site
Join the Conversation