Pinon Boarding School, Classroom Building, Navajo Route 41, North of Navajo Route 4, Pinon

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS ARIZ,9-PIN,1A-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Classroom Building 301 at Pifton Community School was buift in and is an example of the Pueblo Revival architecture that characterizes most of the PWA reservation school buildings of that era. It is one of the four largest classroom buildings built during the construction campaign that built 47 day schools on the Navajo reservation. PlfiON BOARDING SCHOOL, CLASSROOM BUILDING (Pifion Community School, Building HABS No. AZ-162-A (Page 2) PARTI. DESCRIPTION EXTERIOR. Building 301 is an "L"-shaped, single story building which originally contained classrooms, a kitchen, administrative offices, a shop and storage. Aside from changes in room functions, the building has had no major alterations. [Figs.

Drawings dated show renovation plans to change the kitchen (NE corner) into the Principal's office. [Figs. Building 301 is Pueblo Revival Style architecture, constructed of native Dakota sandstone that was cut, dressed, and laid by Navajo workers employed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Exposed wood vigas support the flat roofs, and large wood canales lined with copper pass through the parapets to carry water off the roofs. [Figs. Wood lintels span above doors and windows. Classrooms have banks of awning windows white wood double-hung windows are found elsewhere. INTERIOR. The interior floors are wood and walls are painted plaster. Ceilings are painted exposed structure - wood vigas with exposed wood decking.

MECHANICAL, in the old coal-fired boiler in the small basement of the classroom wing was removed and replaced by an oil-fired Well-McLain boiler which provided steam to cast iron radiators located in the classrooms. The administration area (Rooms 111A, and received heat from three natural gas fired vertical wall furnaces. Room which was once the library, was heated by a natural gas fired unit heater. Storage rooms 113 and 114 were not heated. COST. According to an American Indian Engineering survey completed in the original cost of Building 301 was PART II.

History

In addition to providing classroom space. Building 301 served community needs as well. Attached to the large classroom wing is a long narrow wing extending to the west. Besides housing the Administrative Offices, the wing included shop and garage space for the community. According to Donald Parman in The Navaios and the New Deal, "proponents (of community day schools) often argued plausibly that the noneducational services were as useful to the Navajos as the actual classes." Parman also addressed the size of classroom buildings stating that, of the four largest, three had four classrooms and one had eight. Since Pifion's classroom building originally had four classrooms, it is apparent that it was one of the four largest built.

A new complex of buildings has been designed* for Pinon Community School which necessitates the demolition of Building Architects: Lescher and Mahoney/DLR Group, Phoenix, AZ PlfiON BOARDING SCHOOL, CLASSROOM BUILDING (Pifion Community School, Building HABS No. AZ-162-A (Page 3) PART III.

Sources

Parman, Donald L. The Navajos and the New Deal New Haven: Yale University Press, Threinen, Ellen. The Navaios and the BIA: A Study of Government Buildings on the Navaio Reservation. American Indian Engineering, Inc./Bureau of Indian Affairs Other possible sources: Indians at Work. Issues published from - PART IV.

PROJECT INFORMATION This survey is a mitigative recording required by a Memorandum of Agreement signed by the following parties: Phyllis Badoni, Executive Director Pifion Community School Board Tom Tippeconnic, Assistant Area Director Navajo Area Office, Navajo Area BIA Jim Garrison Arizona State Historic Preservation Office Alan Downer, Historic Preservation Officer Navajo Nation Historic Preservation Department Robert Bush, Executive Director Advising Council on Historic Preservation The survey documentation was completed in July by Lescher and Mahoney/DLR Group with the cooperation of the following: Pifion Community School Board Bureau of Indian Affairs - Gallup Office Bureau of Indian Affairs - Albuquerque Office Arizona State Historic Presentation Office Navajo Nation Historic Preservation Department David Sloan and Associates, Architects Prepared by: Brett A.

Hobza Affiliation: Lescher and Mahoney/DLR Group, Architects Phoenix, Arizona Date: July PlflON BOARDING SCHOOL, CLASSROOM BUILDING (Pinon Community School, Building HABS No. AZ-162-A (Page 4) Figure 1. Floor Plan - Building 301 PlfiON BOARDING SCHOOL, CLASSROOM BUILDING (Pifton Community School, Building HABS No. AZ-162-A (Page 5) Figure 2. Floor Plan - May Survey PlfiON BOARDING SCHOOL, CLASSROOM BUILDING (Pifion Community School, Building HABS No. A2-162-A (Page 6) Copper luted need masonry Opaunf a/emtd flushed rath adoSe FRONT ELEVATION - y, 3 p y ana Silt roof 3 0 mm iiJied nvod &utafe X.' '.' " Mobe - " \ *T,U - ^M'sheaihinf Wood Ccuti SECTION Wmy'^KjLuu pouter Figure 3. Parapet Detail PiNON BOARDING SCHOOL, CLASSROOM BUILDING (Pifion Community School, Building HABS No.

AZ-162-A (Page 7) I I'- ll \ ;i ^c7 nil!* / co *>; X \ V if r I. ? fa;''* IZ-7G Fi'gure 4. Site Plan- PINON BOARDING SCHOOL, CLASSROOM BUILDING (Pinon Community School, Building HABS No. AZ-162-A (Page 8) <"" *- - 4 i | 5 s^rri 3 x r "' "' vvv .- * * V ' * Miv I fill / oi; ; I. i'.V z Iiaii < " * = ^= .101I1IS9 zArp if-YV of- J*- ; 83 w i-L-_W T it ihafllllllrf is! Hi ] =* . *;* -.. Figure 5. Remodeling, Sheet 1 PINON BOARDING SCHOOL, CLASSROOM BUILDING (Pifion Community School, Building HAB.S No. A2-162-A (Page 9) -2 fcL T2 I ^ 1C 1 c IS 2? ! I?. i |HiSse III i fp % Mi " f t. it:.... 4&J O 1 I*? n Us Jiffl ft* r i ir Ei :K 2 IJiS .-. n * r D3. lit-: i 5 s* ,%- L.r i.r >* .it? "Ha u * a ;tf ti=ii J *r Of*,- ""' Figure 6.

Remodeling, Sheet 2 PINON BOARDING SCHOOL, CLASSROOM BUILDING (Pifion Community School, Building HABS No. AZ-162-A (Page 10) COl^EO (aJjfcF&Ufc Figure 7. Elevation Detail - Building 301 PINON BOARDING SCHOOL, DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIONS (Pages CLASSROOM BUILDING (Building HABS No. AZ-162-A (Page 11) FIGURE 1 Photocopy of drawing (original drawing located at Bureau of Indian Affairs, Gallup Office). Delineator and date unknown. FLOOR PLAN OF BUILDING 301 FIGURE 2 Photocopy of drawing (original drawing located at Bureau of Indian Affairs, Gallup Office) Produced by an American Indian Engineering Survey, FLOOR PLAN OF BUILDING 301 SHOWING MINOR ALTERATIONS.

FIGURE 3 Photocopy of detail drawings (reproduced from The Navajos and the BIA: A Study of Government Buildings on the Navajo Reservation). PARAPET DETAIL OF BUILDING 301 SHOWING VIGAS AND CANALE. FIGURE 4 Photocopy of civil engineering drawing (original drawing located at the Navajo Area Bureau of Indian Affairs, Window Rock, Arizona). SITE PLAN OF PINON DAY SCHOOL, SHEET 07. FIGURE 5 Photocopy of architectural drawings (original drawing located at the Navajo Area Bureau of Indian Affairs, Window Rock, Arizona). PLANS FOR INTERIOR REMODELING OF BUILDING SHEET 1 FIGURE 6 Photocopy of mechanical/electrical drawings (original drawing located at the Navajo Area Bureau of Indian Affairs, Window Rock, Arizona). PLANS FOR MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL REMODELING OF BUILDING SHEET 2.

FIGURE 7 Photocopy of drawing (original drawing located at Lescher and Mahoney/DLR Group, Phoenix Office). Brett A. Hobza, Delineator. June DETAIL OF BUILDING 301 SHOWING MASONRY, CANALE, VIGAS, LINTEL, AND WINDOW.