Walker School
SW 1/4 of Sec 14 of Walker Twp
This school began under the authority of Walker Twp District # 14..
June 5, 1885
Henry M. Cadwell and Sarah E. Cadwell, his wife
To
School Dist. # 14, Twp of Walker
Consideration, $450
Description
Being a part of the S ½ of Lots 4 and 5 of White's Addition and described as
follows:
Commencing at the SW corner of said Lot 4;
Running North on the West line of said Lot 4, 149 ft
thence East at right angles and parallel with the N. line of W. Leonard St. 100
ft
thence South parallel with the E. line of Lot 5 149 feet,
thence W. on the N. line of Leonard St. 100 feet to the place of beginning.
Reserving the E 30.84 feet of said South part of Lot 5, for the public street or
Alley,
and conveying by this deed a piece of land 100 feet x 149 feet.
White's Addition was platted by Coffinberry in 1874 for Samuel White. A new street along Lot 5 came into existence as Valley but in 1920 was switched with Frederick. West was renamed Garfield in 1912. In 1881 Stephen and Daniel Munro sub-divided part of White's Addition Munro's Sub-Division which shows an alley where Valley renamed Frederick would run.
1891 - annexed to City of Grand Rapids, 6th Ward, lot 100 feet on West Leonard x 149 feet deep. A new one-story frame building of two rooms, heated by stoves. Sittings for 100 pupils. Value $2,000.
1895 Sanborn Fire map stops just East of this school's location.
1907 Ogle Walker
1907 - recommendation to sell
1913 Sanborn map as altered the the assessor shown the
hand-drawn new school over the older school.
1917 - The new Walker school which is the first one story type of school to be built by the board has been completed during the year and will be equipped and ready for occupancy September first. (The following report is edited by BVM) report of Mr. Turner, school architect: 132' x 147', one-story, six class rooms, a manual training room, a domestic science room, a combined social center and a 34x 65 gym with stage, principal's office, ample toilet facilities with shower, store room , boiler room, fan room, underground coal bunkers. One-story, open window approach so successful in California (do they have the same climate?). Every class room has a direct exit to the grade. (for fire purposes) no stairs. Rooms arranged in an open quad surrounding the social center and toilets. This social center can be opened to the community separately if the kindergarten room with adjoining toilet serves as a public lobby. "The social center (gym) has a capacity (for) 350 to 400 sittings, and it is hoped that his feature will prove very popular for this outlying district.
He does go on to talk about the possibility that the open-air idea might not work in this climate (ya think?) and so some heating apparatus has been installed not to heat the whole building but controlled individually by each room which are heated by direct radiation - high cost of fuel. Use of the 'Austral' window that can be opened yet prevent drafts on storm days. (Sorry I don't think so since you can get plenty of drafts from closed windows) And they can clean the outside pane from the inside! This sure sounds like a 30-minute paid commercial on TV.
The exterior walls are rough texture art brick in full range of colors trimmed with Indiana limestone and terra cotta. It is finished with white oak trim, flush veneer doors and tile floors in the toilet rooms and vestibules. Sites Committee - considering purchase of two vacant lots adjoining.
This is a photo of the 1917 replacement looking from the East
(Frederick Avenue).
1921 - Addition made
1921 Annual Report - old 6th Ward - S1/2 lots 1-4, west 34 and 58/100ths of the S 1/2 of block 1 Samuel White's Addition.
1929 - Lots 6 and 13 bought on 6/29 for $3.000 and lots 7 and 14 on 6/30 for $2600
1953 Sanborn Fire Map Page 462:
From an undated Bd of Ed map Lots 1,2,3,4,5 (It appears
part of 5 was used for the street)
. Grand Rapids Press 26 Mar 1998 - bond issue proposal
West Leonard Elementary
1351 Leonard ST NW
230 students, 9 teachers
Built: 1917
Existing square feet: 17,400
Proposed new square feet: 7,740
Cost: $3.7 million
Highlights: a $864,000 addition of a multi-purpose room, library, computer lab
and offices;
$1 million to renovate classrooms and hallways and replace heating and electric
systems,
and $157,500 for computers and video equipment.
2005 site 1341 Leonard St NW ppn=41-13-14-380-010, Part of the S 1/2 of lots 1,2,3,4,5 of block 1 of White's and lots 6, 7,13,14 of block 1 of Munro's sub.
2006 West Leonard Early Childhood Center
From article School History
From Heading History and the City of GrandRapids
From web site: MyCityofGrandRapids.info