Curtis School
a.k.a. 5AH459
2349 E. Orchard Rd., Greenwood Village, COCurtis School is the oldest public building in the City of Greenwood Village and is significant for its historic role in the community life of local residents in Arapahoe County. Although the building has been moved, it meets criterion consideration for its historic social significance and because it is the only historic public building associated with the community which developed in the area. The school is the only building designated a historic landmark by Greenwood Village.
The first Curtis School was founded in 1901 and when the educational demands of the community expanded, the original frame building was replaced by the current brick building in 1914. During the same year, local residents petitioned to create a separate district to administer Curtis School, thereby strengthening their influence on its operation. The school served families in its vicinity for fifty-three years, providing an education for many members of the community, including minority students, and those with physical handicaps during its later years. The early history of the school reflects the story of rural education before the modern period of school district consolidation and testifies to the complex role small rural schoolhouses played during the twentieth century in Colorado.
Curtis School has social significance under criterion A for its role as a focus of local community life and uses it as a community center and public building. During its history, the building has housed a number of public activities. As was typical of the small rural school, the building was the scene of educational performances and school gatherings, such as concerts, plays, and holiday festivities.
In addition, the building played a larger role in the life of the community, as it served as a hall for church services, grange meetings, and government activities. In this way, the building provided a multi-purpose facility essential to local residents' private and public lives. The significance of the building to the community has been demonstrated in recent years when Greenwood Village purchased the building and expended substantial funds to preserve it as a community art and history center.
Curtis School reflects the design and decorative elements typical of small rural schoolhouses during the early twentieth century in Colorado. The building's composition includes architectural features commonly found in small rural schoolhouses, including a one-story symmetrical composition with a hipped roof, an enclosed entrance bay, and large, grouped, and evenly spaced windows. The decorative wood shingles in the gable end, shaped hood braces, stone trim, and shingled bell tower convey the sense of community pride and craftsmanship which went into the school's construction. While the building operated as a school until 1967, the period of significance ends in 1941 to comply with the National Register 50-year rule.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.