Hyde Park Elementary School
Encyclopedia
Hyde Park Elementary School is located on US 9 in Hyde Park
, New York, United States. It serves students from kindergarten
through fifth grade
in the Hyde Park Central Schools
.
The school's original fieldstone
building was built in 1940, after close consultation between the local school board and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a native of Hyde Park. He helped make federal funds available for construction, in order to promote the use of fieldstone, following the Hudson Valley
's Dutch Colonial
architectural heritage. In 1993 the school building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
had donated money for, was built of fieldstone. Later, as president, he chose a demolished colonial house as the model for Hyde Park's new post office
, after successfully pushing for similar post offices in neighboring Poughkeepsie
and Rhinebeck
.
In 1938 he met privately with members of the Hyde Park school board and other local officials at his family home
in town. He had closely followed their need for an elementary school, and proposed to them that the Public Works Administration
(PWA) make federal money available to Hyde Park for the construction of three schools (now Violet Avenue Elementary School and the first Franklin D. Roosevelt High School, now Haviland Middle School) that would centralize the smaller local districts into one large one
.
The PWA eventually picked up 45% of the construction costs. The president insisted on the use of fieldstone for the elementary school despite heavy lobbying for brick from the local bricklayer
's union, believing that instutional architecture in the Hudson Valley
should reflect a continuity with its traditional
styles
and construction methods. He personally approved architect Ross Sluyter's design before construction began, and spoke at the dedication ceremony for all three schools when they opened in 1940.
At that time the school consisted of its current central block, a single-story seven-bay
rectangle in a randomly-coursed ashlar
pattern with a slate-shingled
gable
roof pierced by two brick chimneys. It stood in the middle of a 7 acres (2.8 ha) lot
. Smaller wings project from all sides save the west, still the building's main entrance. It opens to a classic Colonial Revival
center-hall plan, with much of the original finishes remaining.
In 1957, it was necessary to expand the building as the baby boom
generation began to hit school age. A flat-roofed brick classroom wing was built on the southwest corner, with a two-story gym wing extending from its north. The auditorium/gymnasium was converted into the cafeteria
, ending a need for students living nearby to eat at home due to crowding. The original cafeteria is now the school's main special education
classroom. In 1963 these additions were completed. Another wing was added in 1990 for county BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) use
Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park is a town located in the northwest part of Dutchess County, New York, United States, just north of the city of Poughkeepsie. The town is most famous for being the hometown of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt....
, New York, United States. It serves students from kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
through fifth grade
Fifth grade
Fifth grade is a year of education in the United States and many other nations. The fifth grade is the fifth school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 10 – 11 years old, and are preteens...
in the Hyde Park Central Schools
Hyde Park Central Schools
The Hyde Park Central School District is a public school district located in Hyde Park, New York. The district enrollment is 4,645 students in seven schools in grades K-12. The district superintendent is Greer F. Fischer, Ed.D.-Elementary Schools:...
.
The school's original fieldstone
Fieldstone
Fieldstone is a building construction material. Strictly speaking, it is stone collected from the surface of fields where it occurs naturally...
building was built in 1940, after close consultation between the local school board and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a native of Hyde Park. He helped make federal funds available for construction, in order to promote the use of fieldstone, following the Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
's Dutch Colonial
Dutch colonization of the Americas
Dutch trading posts and plantations in the Americas precede the much wider known colonization activities of the Dutch in Asia. Whereas the first Dutch fort in Asia was built in 1600 , the first forts and settlements on the Essequibo river in Guyana and on the Amazon date from the 1590s...
architectural heritage. In 1993 the school building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
History
Roosevelt had a longtime interest in the region's stone Dutch buildings, owing to his own heritage. In 1927 he had made sure that the new Hyde Park library, which his familyRoosevelt family
In heraldry, canting arms are a visual or pictorial play on a surname, and were and still are a popular practice. It would be common to find roses, then, in arms of many Roosevelt families, even unrelated ones...
had donated money for, was built of fieldstone. Later, as president, he chose a demolished colonial house as the model for Hyde Park's new post office
U.S. Post Office (Hyde Park, New York)
The U.S. Post Office in Hyde Park, New York, serves the 12538 ZIP Code. It is a stone building in the Dutch Colonial Revival architectural style, located on East Market Street just east of US 9....
, after successfully pushing for similar post offices in neighboring Poughkeepsie
U.S. Post Office (Poughkeepsie, New York)
The main U.S. Post Office, Poughkeepsie, New York, USA, is located at the junction of Market and Mill streets downtown, . The Post Office serves the 12601 ZIP Code, which covers the city of Poughkeepsie, New York and those portions of the Town of Poughkeepsie adjacent to the city...
and Rhinebeck
U.S. Post Office (Rhinebeck, New York)
The U.S. Post Office in Rhinebeck, New York serves the 12572 ZIP Code. It is located on Mill Street just south of the intersection with NY 308 at the center of the village.It is a stone Colonial Revival structure built in 1940, during the New Deal...
.
In 1938 he met privately with members of the Hyde Park school board and other local officials at his family home
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site
The Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site preserves the Springwood estate in Hyde Park, New York, United States of America. Springwood was the birthplace, lifelong home, and burial place of the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt...
in town. He had closely followed their need for an elementary school, and proposed to them that the Public Works Administration
Public Works Administration
The Public Works Administration , part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933 in response to the Great Depression...
(PWA) make federal money available to Hyde Park for the construction of three schools (now Violet Avenue Elementary School and the first Franklin D. Roosevelt High School, now Haviland Middle School) that would centralize the smaller local districts into one large one
Hyde Park Central Schools
The Hyde Park Central School District is a public school district located in Hyde Park, New York. The district enrollment is 4,645 students in seven schools in grades K-12. The district superintendent is Greer F. Fischer, Ed.D.-Elementary Schools:...
.
The PWA eventually picked up 45% of the construction costs. The president insisted on the use of fieldstone for the elementary school despite heavy lobbying for brick from the local bricklayer
Bricklayer
A bricklayer or mason is a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The term also refers to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of masonry. In British and Australian English, a bricklayer is colloquially known as a "brickie".The training of a trade in...
's union, believing that instutional architecture in the Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
should reflect a continuity with its traditional
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
styles
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
and construction methods. He personally approved architect Ross Sluyter's design before construction began, and spoke at the dedication ceremony for all three schools when they opened in 1940.
At that time the school consisted of its current central block, a single-story seven-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
rectangle in a randomly-coursed ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
pattern with a slate-shingled
Roof shingle
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
roof pierced by two brick chimneys. It stood in the middle of a 7 acres (2.8 ha) lot
Lot (real estate)
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. A lot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property in other countries...
. Smaller wings project from all sides save the west, still the building's main entrance. It opens to a classic Colonial Revival
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
center-hall plan, with much of the original finishes remaining.
In 1957, it was necessary to expand the building as the baby boom
Baby boom
A baby boom is any period marked by a greatly increased birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds and when the number of annual births exceeds 2 per 100 women...
generation began to hit school age. A flat-roofed brick classroom wing was built on the southwest corner, with a two-story gym wing extending from its north. The auditorium/gymnasium was converted into the cafeteria
Cafeteria
A cafeteria is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a school dining location is also referred to as a dining hall or canteen...
, ending a need for students living nearby to eat at home due to crowding. The original cafeteria is now the school's main special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
classroom. In 1963 these additions were completed. Another wing was added in 1990 for county BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) use