mccormickschoolmuseum
franklin_1800s
Name: Benjamin Franklin Elementary- drawing of 1886 building
Address: 214 S Elizabeth; Wichita, KS 67213
Original Building: Originally called the Fifth Ward School. In 1886 a two-story brick building replaced a one-room frame schoolhouse on the present site. This served grades 1-8 until 1921.
Current Building: The old school being deemed in unsafe condition, a new school was built and opened in 1941.
Dates of Operation: 1885 - current
Meaning of Name: The school was named after Benjamin Franklin.
Renovations: 1901, 1905, 1911 (original building); 1954; 1965; 1967; 1980; 1983; 1992; 1995; 2002; 2012
Fun Fact: During construction in 1941, students attended classes at ten different schools as well as Trinity Methodist Church. Miss Gertrude Dowd became known as the "Circuit Riding Principal" as she had to ride a bus from school to school to fulfill her duties.
Contractors: C.A. Doolittle Jr. Construction Co. (1941 building); Conco, Inc. (2002 addition and remodel); Walz Harman Huffman Construction (2012 addition)
Architects: Hibbs, Robinson & Pettit; Glenn Schaeffer (1941); Spangenberg Phillips Architecture (2002 addition and remodel); Spangenberg Phillips Tice (2012 addition)
franklin_1800s
Name: Benjamin Franklin Elementary- drawing of 1886 building
Address: 214 S Elizabeth; Wichita, KS 67213
Original Building: Originally called the Fifth Ward School. In 1886 a two-story brick building replaced a one-room frame schoolhouse on the present site. This served grades 1-8 until 1921.
Current Building: The old school being deemed in unsafe condition, a new school was built and opened in 1941.
Dates of Operation: 1885 - current
Meaning of Name: The school was named after Benjamin Franklin.
Renovations: 1901, 1905, 1911 (original building); 1954; 1965; 1967; 1980; 1983; 1992; 1995; 2002; 2012
Fun Fact: During construction in 1941, students attended classes at ten different schools as well as Trinity Methodist Church. Miss Gertrude Dowd became known as the "Circuit Riding Principal" as she had to ride a bus from school to school to fulfill her duties.
Contractors: C.A. Doolittle Jr. Construction Co. (1941 building); Conco, Inc. (2002 addition and remodel); Walz Harman Huffman Construction (2012 addition)
Architects: Hibbs, Robinson & Pettit; Glenn Schaeffer (1941); Spangenberg Phillips Architecture (2002 addition and remodel); Spangenberg Phillips Tice (2012 addition)