Norman School (1906-1951)

The Norman School was the pride of the Kansas City Missouri School District when it opened in 1906. The new building and featured a design that demonstrated the influence of the Progressive Era as the layout centered around promoting the latest pedagogical advances with rooms dedicated to subjects like music, art, and science. The building also featured wider corridors, more spacious rooms, and a modern ventilation system designed to promote public health. Construction on the building occurred in two phases, with the first phase complete in 1906 and 1907, while the rest of the building was completed in 1911. The budling served the community as a school and social center until 1951, an era when schools in both Kansas City Kansas and Missouri were segregated by law. From 1951 to 2006, the building served as a Public School resource center. In 2006, its days as a public service building ended when a private group purchased the historic structure, eventually turning into a residential building in 2018 known as Normal School Lofts.

The Norman School served Kansas City as a Progressive Era School during the early twentieth century. The school demonstrated the era's emphasis on science and design with features that mirrored the latest safety and health considerations, including a spacious layout that maximized light and air circulation. Typical of most Kansas City schools (and many schools throughout the nation today), the Norman School dually functioned as a school and community social center. The school hosted meetings and town halls, and it served as a polling place during elections. Construction of the two-story building occurred in two planned phases, beginning with the center, west, and north wings in 1906 and ending with the east wing in 1911. 

The genesis of the Kansas City Missouri School District dates back to 1867. By 1906, the same year the first phase of the Norman School construction began, the District had constructed or annexed approximately fifty school buildings. Between 1906 and 1911 (when the second phase of construction began on the Norman School), the District added another twenty-five schools. Coinciding with the explosive growth in schools, their designs increasingly found inspiration in Progressive Era ideas. The first Norman School, a small wood-frame building, emerged in 1901 on the same property the historic building now stands. The school served first and second graders. The District named the school for the Superintendent, Joseph Lafayette Norman, who had previously worked as a teacher and served on the Kansas City Board of Education from 1887 to 1904. Growth in student attendance forced the District to build a larger school. Hence, the Norman School opened partially in 1906 and fully in 1907. 

Charles A. Smith, Kansas City School Board architect from 1898 to 1936, built several schools in the metro area. For the Norman School, he utilized his standard five-part plan for the building that exemplified the newest technologies and safety concerns highlighted during the Progressive Era. Typical of Progressive Era schools, a dense residential community surrounds the property; the primary elevation faces the playground on the large, open lot; and the building displays characteristic Jacobethan Revival details. The school's overall plan, with wide, double-loaded corridors, specific classrooms spaces and an assembly room, and mechanical ventilation systems, addressed the safety and health concerns that shaped school buildings during the Progressive Era. In addition to the designs, the pedagogy and educational philosophies changed to reflect Progressive Era concepts. New ideas emphasized experiential learning over memorization, including art and music instruction, and hiring teachers with specialties in specific disciplines. Extracurricular activities, from band and sports to cooking classes, were also supported (and encouraged) at Normal School. As well, large open playgrounds allowed for better physical health and fitness for the students. 

In 1951, the Norman School transitioned into a resource center for Kansas City Public Schools. Shortly after the dawn of the twenty-first century, the dwindling population in the neighborhood forced Norman School to close its doors., although the school housed offices for the District-sponsored "Parents as Teachers" program until 2006. All told, the building served the community for nearly a century. Del Properties purchased the property in 2006, but the building remained vacant and untouched for another decade. Finally, in 2016, renovations began on the historic building that involved turning the old school into an apartment complex, which opened in 2018; the school goes by the name Norman School Lofts as of 2021. 

Meier, Travis. "From runts to rents, monumental Norman School in KC withstands test of time." Fox 4. fox4KC.com. September 9, 2020. https://fox4kc.com/news/beneath-the-bricks/from-runts-to-rents-monumental-norman-school-in-kc-withstands-test-of-time/.

Reese, William J. "The Origins of Progressive Education." History of Education Quarterly 41, no. 1 (2001): 1-24.

Rosin, Elizabeth and Lauren Rieke. "Nomination Form: Norman School." National Register of Historic Places. nps.gov. 2003. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/b7382f29-ceac-4f27-abd6-805cfc2cad3e.