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723 Elm Avenue

PhotosLegacy Version

General Information

No:   723  
Street:   Elm  
House Name:   Terrace Park School  
Historic Plaque:   2008  
Owner Info:   N  
Built:   1913  
Sec:   22/3  
Subdivision:   Thomas R. Biggs Est.  
Lot:   Most 1 & 2  
Architect:   James L. Chapman Sr.(TPHS has the original plans)  
Cont/build:     

Description:    2 story brick building with flat roof. (see pictures of the 1913 building)   
Owners:     
Original Use:   School  
Current Use:   School  

CHANGES:
As Built:     
Added To:   Y  
Subtracted From:     
Replaced:   Y  

Description Of Changes:   1969 - constructed 15' x 24' 1 story addition on the east side. 2011-12 - Almost gutted 1913 building to remodel, and demolished 1969 addition to make new very large 2 story addition.  

Stories:

Story 1: A one room schoolhouse, built in 1853, still stands at the corner of Given, Indian Hill and Wooster Pike. (Virginia Marquett's grandfather attended this school.) It operated until 1864 when the principal resigned; hiring a new one was difficult during the Civil War. In 1870/2 a brick four room (2 up & 2 down) school building was built on Elm Avenue in front of the present elementary school site. (Virginia Marquett's mother attended this school.) It was used from 1872 until 1913 when the present school was built (VIrginia Marquett attended this school.). The upstairs two rooms could be made into one for community affairs. Part of Gravelotte.
Story 2: In a community where education has always been the only industry, there was a need for a building where learning could take place. Prior to the construction of the present day building, school was held in a one room building on the northeast corner of what is now Given Road and Wooster Pike. Its dimensions were thirty-two by thirty-four feet and it dated back to 1832. A new four room school was built in 1872 in front of the present building on Elm Street. There were a total of four rooms in the building, two upstairs and two downstairs. In 1886 a high school was incorporated, graduating its first student in 1890 ( just one girl). In 1891 the building was lifted and a basement was added for the older grades. School was attended until 1913 when the last class graduated. For a cost of only $30,000, the present day building was constructed in 1913. Students from Newtown, Plainville, and Camp Denison joined Terrace Park students in their new building. As enrollment grew, the addition of three new buildings was necessary. In 1927 a colony building was built in the present day back parking lot. Another was built in 1931 on the present day T-ball fields and in 1938 a third colony was added in the parking lot. As needs changed, Terrace Park became part of the Mariemont City Schools. A new primary wing was added to the present day buildings and the colonies were dismantled. Article by David Winters in the School Bulletin, May, 1995. (When the addition to the north of the school was made, two doors opposite the stage were lost.
Story 3: There were four members in the last class to graduate from the 1870 Terrace Park School: Mary Louise Dennemen (married Fred Huber), Frederick Joseph Iuen, Edith Elizabeth Iuen (married Matt Cook) & Elizabeth Marjorie Start(s?)man (married Gardner Hart). The Iuens were 1st cousins. The last class to graduate from the 1913 Terrace Park High School was 1957.
Story 4: 1911-12 Directory lists Terrace Park School. 1891 & 1897 also list Terrace Park School.
Story 5: See also Virginia Marquett's History of Terrace Park School, Village Views June 1998 article, both in the file and the TP School notebook. When Miami Grove flooded the school closed and those flooded out lived in the gym (later in St. Thomas undercroft).
Story 6: Thomas Butterworth Foster graduated from Terrace Park High School in 1932. His mother taught Latin & History 1923-1950 (or was it 1925 - see conflicting info below). She commuted by railroad from Loveland (Butterworth Station). Grandfather of Thomas, Eugene H. Foster, was Principal of Terrace Park High School and taught Latin and Greek. When we do more about the school, Jane Diehl suggests we include the Foster family, long associated with the Terrace Park School, both administration and teaching. Mrs. Foster & Mrs. Innis both retired at the end of the school year 1950. Both taught from 1925-1950.
Story 7: The gym was added to the school in 1928.
Story 8: The Main Library (The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County) in GOVSTACKS has a copy of The Terrace Park School Situation 1956.
Story 9: RJ Vilardo's first year at Terrace Park School was 8th grade. Bud Heil's first year was 1942. Joe Busken was Senior Class president in 1946.
Story 10: In 1963, when Jody Brown [821 Myrtle Avenue] was in the 2nd grade, she won a 1st Prize in the Hobby Show for her entry Leaves From the Terrace Park School Yard. These are leaves I have collected from the school yard. I like nature very much. Did you ever know there were so many leaves in the school yard? Last fall my daddy [Stan Brown] and I went to the school and we collected leaves. We put them under paper and weights. I took my little camera and took pictures of the trees. I pasted the leaves on paper and I put the names on the pages. Green Ash, White Ash, Basswood, Buckeye, Catalpa, Wild Cherry, Horse Chestnut, Dogwood, American Elm, Chinese Elm, Ginko, Hackberry, Honey Locust, Crimson Maple, Red Maple, Sugar Maple, Mulberry, Burr Oak, Pin Oak, White Oak, Norway Pine, Redbud, Sassafras, Red or Sweet Gum, Sycamore and Black Walnut. The Scrapbook has now been given to the Terrace Park Historical Society. It documents what trees were in the school yard in 1963.
Story 11: Norman E. Purdy, past principle of the Terrace Park Elementary School, died 12 December, 2011, age 95 years, Charles C. Young Funeral Home, Ross, Ohio.