St. Mary's Elementary School, 231 North Third Street, Phoenix

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS AZ-216. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

South west corner of Fourth and Van Buren streets, Phoenix, Arizona. The school used the address of the parish office, at the northeast comer of Third and Monroe streets, as its mailing address: 231 North Third Street, Phoenix, AZ. Date of construction: March 4, to February 21, (dedication) Architect: Lescher & Mahoney Builder: Wasielewski Construction Company

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS AZ-216. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Designed by prominent Phoenix architects Royal W. Lescher and Leslie J. Mahoney, the building is an exceptionally significant example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style, popular from to Because of its size, scale, design, and workmanship, S1. Mary's Elementary School is considered one of Phoenix's few significant and outstanding examples of the style. It is one of the oldest and largest of the major Spanish Colonial Revival style buildings in Phoenix. Prepared by: Sean Feeney Michael Wilson Kelly Architects, 160 South Ash Ave., Tempe, AZ Date: September 30, St Mary's Elementary School HABSNo. AZ-216 (Page 2) Historical Introduction: Van Buren Street J The origins of St. Mary's Elementary School trace to when the Rev. F .X.

J ouvanceau oversaw construction of the first school building at the northwest corner of Fourth and Monroe streets in Phoenix. Attended by English-speaking children and known as Sacred Heart Academy, the school was operated by the Sisters of Mercy, who lived in one section of the building. In seven Franciscan friars arrived in Phoenix and assumed responsibility for the mixed Anglo and Hispanic congregation of St. Mary's Parish. The Franciscans launched an ambitious expansion plan that included Monroe Street renovation of the existing adobe church and construction of a new monastery and schoolhouse for Spanish-speaking children. In when the Franciscans received Church on the last day of and the parish, 90 children were attending the opening St.

Mary's High School in brick English-speaking school, which was (which occupied two classrooms on the renamed St. Mary's. The following year, a second floor of the existing grammar brick grammar school for Spanish- school and counted an enrollment of only speaking children, called St. five boys and twelve girls), the Franciscans Anthony's, was constructed in a separate were determined to erect a new grammar building at the northeast comer of Third and school "worthy of the status of the large Monroe streets. The two, brick grammar Catholic congregation and of Arizona's schools stood on either side of the basilica.

beautiful capital city." In both buildings were acquired by After much deliberation and planning, the Sisters of the Precious Blood to work was started on the new school and allow the Sisters of Mercy to devote their auditorium on March 4, The entire energy to St. Joseph's Hospital, building was designed by the which had opened in Later the two architectural firm of Lescher & school buildings were combined, Mahoney and built by the A.F. replaced, and eventually demolished. Wasielewski Construction Company. It was completed the following year at After completing work on St. Mary's a cost of St Mary's Elementary SchOOl HABSNo. AZ-216 (page 3) St. Mary's Elementary School was dedicated on February 21, by Bishop Daniel J. Gerke of the Tucson Diocese.

In a sermon delivered at the dedication, Bishop Gerke said: "As Bishop of the Diocese it is a great pleasure for me to be here this afternoon, to bless this new school and to offer in person my heart-felt congratulations to Father Novatus, the priests, sisters and people of the parish. Many and great are the sacrifices demanded to erect and maintain a school like this; but those sacrifices will bring down upon this community many graces from God, not only to those of the present day, but to unborn generations who are destined to reap the benefits of what you have sown today." Father Novatas Benzing, parish priest since became acting educational director as the school, which opened to more than 500 students and 14 teachers in the fall of when Phoenix had a population of about people.

Some students boarded with the nuns who taught there, and many rode donkeys to school from the farms surrounding downtown Phoenix. At that time, the parish was surrounded by barrios, as well as elegant Victorian homes. The school reached its zenith in the when it served a student population of more than 700 children, some 50 to a classroom. From to the grammar school served as the feeder school for St. Mary's High School. In the early declining enrollment and budget shortfalls prompted diocese officials to consider closing the school. In a group of parents, civic leaders and alumni formed the St. Mary'S Foundation to solicit funds from community sources and private donors to keep the school open. After a brief reprieve, Bishop Thomas 1.

O'Brien officially closed the school in The 77-year-old building is slated for demolition on June 1, Architectural significance Phoenix Architects Royal W. Lescher and Leslie J. Mahoney completed design plans, titled" Mary's Parochial School' Cor. Fourth & Van Buren Streets Phoenix Arizona," in November Mahoney the principal designer, came to Phoenix from Los Angeles in to be a designer for the architects Lescher and Kibbey. Ten years later Kibbey moved to California and Mahoney became Roy Lescher's partner. The firm's output was exceeded in the Southwest only by that of Trost and Trost of EI Paso, Texas. The office project list, now in the possession of the Central Arizona Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, records commissions. St.

Mary's Elementary School is an exceptionally significant example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style, popular from to The style was popularized by the Panama- California Exposition, held in San Diego in The exposition was designed by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, who previously had authored a detailed study of Spanish Colonial architecture. Goodhue wanted to go beyond the then prevalent Mission interpretations and emphasize the richness of Spanish precedents found throughout Latin America. Inspired by the wide publicity given the exposition, other fashionable architects soon began to look St rv1ary's Elementary School HABSNo. AZ-216 (Page 4) directly to Spain for source material.

There, they found a still longer and richer sequence of architectural traditions, which became melded into a style that they continued to call Spanish Colonial Revival. The style reached its apex during the and early and passed rapidly from favor during the St. Mary's Elementary School was one of the first commissions of Lescher & Mahoney to be influenced by the Spanish Colonial Revival style. The building displays many of the identifying features of the style, including a flat- or low-pitched roof with little eave overhang; a red tile roof covering; a prominent arch, highlighted by Churrigueresque detailing (carved low-relief ornamentation) and patterned tile. The arch is placed above the auditorium's carved wooden main entrance doors.

The exterior stucco wall finish is common for the style. The principal facade is an asymmetrical composition with three bays of windows flanked by a slightly projecting entrance pavilion at one end and a pair of decorated windows at the other. Another excellent example of the Churrigueresque detailing is found next to the arched entrance in the east stairwell window bay. Other interesting features include a Palladian-styled balcony/window for the library and several windows protected by elaborate iron grills. Because of its size, scale, design, and workmanship, St. Mary's Elementary School is considered one of Phoenix's few significant and outstanding examples of the style.

It is one A article in The Arizona Republic called the school building "one of the most modern and best constructed educational structures in the Southwest." The Arizona Gazette called the school "one of the most impressive scholastic edifices in Arizona" and "a building which will stand for decades as a monument to religious training and education." The auditorium had an original capacity of approximately It featured a "moving picture" operator's booth in the balcony, and could be used for stage productions, assemblies, and local events. The cafeteria, when first constructed, was considered one of the most modern in the Phoenix area.

Construction followed closely the Lescher & Mahoney drawings except for the auditorium floor, where the structure ran perpendicular to the original drawings and eliminated an intermediate row of concrete columns. Unique to the building were back-to-back composite C-channel shaped steel joists, primary structural members that spanned the floor framing from the exterior to interior bearing walls. They were used as roof framing members at 2-foot intervals and free-spaned the classroom spaces, bearing on triple wythe masonry or on concrete bearing walls on each side, and supported a 2 V2-inch thick concrete finish floor on two levels. In the auditorium, they intersect cast concrete beams at 2-foot by 12-foot intervals to create a rigid composite grid. St Mary's Elemen1ary School HABSNo.

AZ-216 (pageS) Bibliography Frankeberger, Robert R.. "Les Mahoney: The Early Years," Best of (Triglyph' 7 (Winter Transcript of oral history interview with Leslie J. Mahoney. Page, Charles Hall & Associates. Phoenix Historic Building Survey, Robichaux, Brian A. Original ink on linen drawings, The Robichaux Co., 515 West Coronado Road, Phoenix, AZ. Telephone: St. Mary's Parish. Archival photographs and oral history, courtesy of Daniel Wolford, parish manager; and Frank Barrios, photographer. The Arizona Republic. The Arizona Gazette. Weight, Kevin. Landmark Designation Report for St Mary's Basilica & St Mary's Elementary School. November 200 1. Copy available at Historic Preservation Department, City of Phoenix. Woodward Architectural Group, (Phoenix: Public & Institutional Architecture,