11 Most Endangered
East Side School and Middle School
Year Listed: 2003
Location: Iowa
Current Status: Lost
Threat: Neglect, Poor Public Policy
For more than a century, the majestic twin towers of Decorah’s East Side School have dominated the skyline of this farming community nestled in the scenic hills of northeastern Iowa. A rugged example of turn-of-the-century design and a time-honored symbol of the hopes and dreams of generations of Decorah residents, the school was built in 1896 and remained in continuous use until 1999. But today, East Side is empty, deteriorated and along with the adjoining Middle School, built in 1922 facing an uncertain future. Perhaps more than any other building type, historic neighborhood schools such as East Side represent the bond between the community’s past and present and the collective memory of thousands of local citizens but thousands of these treasured landmarks have been reduced to rubble in recent years. Before too long, Decorah could be next in line to hear the sound of the school bell replaced by the crash of the wrecking ball.
Update
Advocacy efforts by Decorah citizens, the Residents for Responsible Renovation (3Rs), and the National Trust helped convince the Decorah School Board to renovate the Middle School for third and fourth grade classrooms. A $4.5 million bond referendum funded the Middle School renovation and construction of an adjacent new facility for grades five through eight. However, despite tremendous fundraising and advocacy efforts by the East Side School Development Committee, a successful adaptive use charrette, several studies by architects, and a vote of the people that only barely failed, the school district ignored a whole segment of the community that rallied behind using the building as a community arts center and demolished East Side School in January 2008.
