Central School Building

The Tipton street side of the current location became the City School in 1878 taking the place of several earlier homes. In 1890 a dedicated high school was built on the same block along Jefferson St. The first building was demolished around 1920. When the 1890 building was too small and some people deemed it unsafe, work began on a new school. The new high school opened in what is now Slack Park in 1918 and a new elementary school was built on the block in 1928  (after the existing structure was demolished). In 2012 the remodeled facility was opened as Central Living Senior Apartments. Each apartment incorporates some aspect of the classroom(s) from which it was constructed.

Early 1928 newspaper accounts show the need for a new school was an issue on which the town was divided. Some parties thought a new school was not needed, others felt that it was unsafe for their children to go to the third floor of the existing building. In May of 1928, W.R. Dunkin & Son began demolition work on the existing school, so that the new school could be constructed. Robert W Stevens, the architect on the project, began work on the plans for this and the Community Gymnasium (located at this same spot) in mid-May. The gymnasium was stated to cost approximately $60,000 and would have a maximum capacity of 5,500 people. This school would house grades K through 8 grade until 1967, when it became a K through 6 grade school. The school was dedicated January 17, 1929 and the second semester began January 21, 1929 in the new school. 

The Huntington County Interim Report, 2nd Edition, labels the architecture style as Neo-Classical.  “America's interest in classical architecture was reborn in the 1890s. Hoosier civic leaders thought that classical architecture would symbolize authority and culture for their growing cities and towns at the turn of the century. The Neo-Classical Revival style is similar to the much earlier Greek Revival style; however, it differs by its use of elaborate classical detail, usually more permanent materials (brick, stone) and more massive scale. Architects frequently combined elements from Greek, Roman, and Italian Renaissance architecture into one design.” Some of the features of this Neo-classical style that can be seen in this building are the simple geometry, the balance or symmetry of the building and the focus on function rather than ornamentation. The Central High School building is listed on page 21 of the National Register of Historic Places registration form for North Jefferson Street Historic District which was approved in 2010.

1. “National Register of Historic Places Registration Form,” nps.gov, accessed July 19, 2021. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/d16cfb14-e6f2-47e1-a9fe-5fd7ccfa0870/
2. Huntington County Interim Report 2nd Edition, Indiana 1982. This book can be located at the Huntington City-Township Public Library. hctpl.info.
3. “Neo-Classical Revival Style,”, IN.gov, accessed July 19, 2021, https://www.in.gov/dnr/historic-preservation/learn-about-topics/buildings-and-bridges/architectural-styles/neo-classical-revival-style/
4. “Central School Patrons Ask for Modern Building,” The Huntington Herald [Huntington IN], 4 Jan 1928.
5. “Stevens Makes Plans for New School Building,” The Huntington Herald [Huntington, IN]. 15 May 1928.
6. Huntington County, IN. (1993). United States: Turner Publishing Company.
7. Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. Map 12. 1904. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4094hm.g4094hm_g023691904/?sp=12&st=image
8. Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. Map 2. 1929. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4094hm.g4094hm_g023691929/?sp=2&st=image