The Buffalo High School is nominated to the National Register under criterion 'C' for significance in architecture. It is a solid, well-constructed example of Classical Revival architecture. The building is the largest structure in town, and the only remaining example of this style used on a public building in the community of Buffalo, North Dakota.
Twentieth-century Classical Revival architecture draws its inspiration from several earlier styles, interpretations, and revivals of the classical architectural details of the Greeks and Romans. The Adam style in America can be traced back to the 1780s - 1820s when it was the dominant style of the "new" United States. The style reached its zenith in the prosperous areas of the east coast, including the nation's new capital. The Adam style was a development and refinement of the previous English Georgian style. It drew on contemporary European trends, particularly the work of the Adam Brothers, who at that time, had the largest architectural practice in Britain. They traveled throughout Europe and incorporated their interpretations of classic Greek, Roman, and later Italian designs into their work.
The early Classical Revival structures in most detail resemble those of the contemporaneous Adam style. Following the American Revolution, there was an immediate need for public buildings to house the newly organized government at both state and national levels. It was natural to have taken Rome as a model, with its republican ideas and monumental architecture, a choice that symbolized the mood and politics of the new country. Roman Revival architecture thus became fashionable and a number of well-known architects were working in the style. The most influential of all was Thomas Jefferson, who not only designed Classical Revival buildings himself but used the influence of his political office and his considerable powers of personal persuasion to push the United States toward his classical ideal.
Late in the nineteenth century, several exhibitions played an important part in bringing about a renewed interest in the Classical Revival. At the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893, its planners mandated a classical theme; many of the day's best-known architects contributed. The exposition was widely photographed, reported, and attended. These Classical Revival models soon became the latest fashion throughout the country. The buildings of the exposition were of monumental scale and inspired countless public and commercial buildings in the following decades. Architects such as Charles B. Atwood; McKim, Mead, and White; Henry Bacon; and John Russell Pope contributed to the proliferation of the style. Classical Revival architecture remained popular in public buildings well into the 1920s; however, the economic depression of the 1930s, World War II, and changing postwar fashions led to a simplification of style and design in public architecture.
The 1916 High School was built in a solid Classical Revival style. Decorations found in the original public school, such as the porch and cupola, were not included. Instead, a building of symmetrical proportions and even more mass was constructed. The symmetry of the building with its gabled front pediment, and the detailing of the main entrance solidify the style's nature.
Buffalo had already outgrown its first one-room schoolhouse and had lost its second wooden schoolhouse to fire in 1901. As with most rural settlements, the education of children was considered a type of luxury; therefore, school buildings showed the level of pride a community placed on its youth. After the fire destroyed the second Victorian-style wood-frame school, a petition was circulated and enough emphasis was placed on the construction of a new "brick" schoolhouse to bring in one of the premiere architectural firms in the area, Hancock Bros. of Fargo, ND. The 1902 Buffalo Public School was a fine example of the Hancock Bros.' distinctive style of work. The Classical Revival style, with Victorian and Italianate suggestions, was typical of their work at the time.
The 1916 High School building represents the growth of larger, better equipped high school facilities in rural communities as a result of changing trends in education during the early part of the twentieth century. Another factor was the growing number of students that continued their education beyond the required eighth-grade level. As small one-room country schools closed, cities had to provide larger and more well-rounded educational facilities. The 1902 public school connected by a short hallway, was then converted to serve as a grade school only. The high school, being built within a relatively short period of time after the construction of the public school, indicated that Buffalo was experiencing significant growth, as well as consolidation of several small, one-room country schools.
The new high school was built with materials that resembled those used in the construction of the earlier public school section of the property. It is speculated, based on photographs, that the wooden porch on the 1902 public school was removed at this time and replaced with an entrance that more closely resembled the one on the new high school. The architect for the 1916 Buffalo High School is assumed to be Fargo, ND architect A. J. O'Shea. Although our research has been unable to substantiate the claim, he was working on other commissions in the Buffalo area for the school treasurer and town banker S. G. More. Mr. More was a leading citizen in the campaign to build the 1902 public school and was again directly involved in the 1916 high school construction. It is also known that architect A. J. O'Shea loved to design schools, and designed many of his commercial and institutional structures in the Classic Revival style.
Andrew J. O'Shea was born on August 12, 1869, in Tralee, Ireland. He immigrated to Ontario, Canada in 1884 at the age of fifteen. He lived there until emigrating to the United States in 1893 when he relocated to Fargo, ND. After the 'great fire' of 1893 when nearly the entire business community of Fargo was razed, there were ample opportunities for an architect to get commissions. In 1898, O'Shea took rooms at 323 NP Ave in Fargo. He married May Keeny Stanford on May 18, 1907. City directories list his office at 61 Kennedy Block in 1912-13. His architect office by 1922 was located at 701 4th St S with his residence next door at 703 4th St S. He held ND Architects License #16, and kept offices for the Ajos Co. (a property management company) in the old dependencies building at 624 Main Ave in Fargo, in fact, he designed the upper three floors of that National Register property in 1904. The Ajos Co. owned apartments at the corner of 10th St S and 9th Ave S and also at the corner of 4th St S and 7th Ave S, as well as other property in Fargo, ND.
Mr. O'Shea was proudest of his design for the Casselton, ND High School. His obituary attributes many buildings across the state and especially many other public and school buildings to him. He was outspoken about doing public projects properly when doing them initially. When a problem developed with the roof of Agassiz School in Fargo, ND, he was instrumental in finding the solution to strengthen it. He was also a member of the American Institute of Architects in New York City. O'Shea enjoyed mechanical inventions and was one of Fargo's leading radio enthusiasts. He was a lifelong student of "novel" mechanical inventions, and he had an elaborate set of equipment with which to experiment with mechanical devices at his home.
A. J. O'Shea collapsed several days after having surgery for gallstones and passed away on April 27, 1923. His obituary was entitled "A. J. O'Shea - Pioneer Fargo Architect - Dead After Stroke". He was survived by his wife and a sister Mrs. Annie Rose Coppinger of New York City. These were the only surviving relatives. His body was laid to rest in Crypts number 33 and 34, of section 'H' in the Mausoleum at Riverside Cemetery, Fargo, ND. His estate at the time of death totaled over $34,208.29.
Best known through his Fargo work, O'Shea practiced actively from about 1893 until about 1922. He designed such buildings as the Monticello, Vernon, and Arlington apartments at 711-719 N Broadway in 1909, noted as some of the first apartment buildings in the area. O'Shea designed the McKone Block at 206 Broadway and the Moore Brothers building at 415-417 Main Ave (1908) as well as many commercial buildings on NP Ave, including 206-208 (1919), 309-311 (1901), 323 (1896), 415 (1914) 619 (1897) and most likely many others. Aside from his commercial properties, he also designed residences, including Frank Chin home at 1101 S 8th St (1900), James McDermott House at 1117 1st Ave S (1902), K. M. Hagen House at 1121 4th Ave S (1902), Dr. Charles L. Rose house at 815 3rd Ave S (1904). During the summer of 1915, A. J. O'Shea was commissioned by S. G. More, banker of Buffalo, to design a residence as a wedding present for his only daughter Edith Messenger More and her fiancé Arthur Peterson at 305 4th St N in Buffalo, ND. It was at this time that A. J. O'Shea would have built a working relationship with Mr. More, who was also treasurer of the Buffalo School District.
The last section of the school, a gymnasium, was constructed behind the high school in 1936. The Works Progress Administration was responsible for the construction of the auditorium, in a manner and style characteristic of Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works funded buildings. A shower facility was added to the west end of the gym in 1973.
Owing to school consolidation in 1979, the entire building complex was abandoned. Vacant for over twenty-one years, subject to sporadic interior salvage raids, no maintenance, and constant vandalism, the buildings showed serious signs of neglect and deterioration. Water entering the building from the bell tower and basement near the coal shed caused the stone foundation of the 1902 public school to collapse. The building was condemned and demolished during the winter of 2000-2001, just before its 100th anniversary. The Buffalo Historical Society, Inc. hopes to salvage the cupola, to be included in a memorial park outlining the area formerly occupied by the building. The 1936 gymnasium was not used after the school was closed in 1979. Subsequent years of no maintenance and random material salvaging left openings and allowed the flat roof on the structure to fail, undermining the floor.
Rehabilitation was not financially feasible and the building was condemned and demolished during the winter of 2000-2001
The 1916 high school building is the only one of the three inter-connected structures to remain in restorable condition within the means of the small rural community of Buffalo. It is hoped that its restoration effort brought about by the determined efforts of the local citizens of Buffalo can be accomplished. The restoration would provide extra space for the Buffalo Heritage Center and allow the residents to reclaim some of the pride placed in the community by their ancestors, as few things carry such a demoralizing sense of community failure, as that conveyed by abandoned and vandalized public buildings The 1916 Buffalo High School demonstrates a remarkably high level of integrity. Original windows and original doors add to the integrity, as does the interior of the structure with its wood floors, trim, wainscoting, and the beauty of the pressed tin ceilings. While showing definite signs of neglect and deterioration, the solid construction of the building is evident. Built to stand on its own, the school building is the only remaining example of Classical Revival architecture in a public building in Buffalo, North Dakota. The growth and development of the community of Buffalo, necessitating the construction of the 1916 Buffalo High School, signifies the importance placed on education in rural communities of early North Dakota.
The classic design and painstaking detailing evident in the construction of the 1916 Buffalo High School are monumental when compared to today's cost-saving, modestly designed public buildings. One really wonders about the intentions, ideals, and attitudes of the school's designers, builders, and those who envisioned the need for this space in the community of Buffalo. A quote by Winston Churchill on the significance of architecture seems to sum it up best:
"First we shape our buildings, then our buildings shape us."
- Winston Churchill
The period of significance for the 1916 Buffalo High School property is its date of construction: 1916.
Bibliography
Local significance of the building:
Architecture
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
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.
North Dakota was once home to a thriving wheat-growing industry that helped it earn the nickname "The Breadbasket of the World." The state's fertile soil and favorable weather conditions made it an ideal location for wheat farming, and many farmers still grow wheat there today.
Cass County, North Dakota, has a rich history that traces back to the early 1800s. The area was originally inhabited by Native American tribes, including the Dakota and Ojibwe peoples, who relied on the fertile soil and abundant resources of the region for their livelihoods.
The first known European settlers arrived in what is now Cass County in the mid-1800s, drawn by the promise of fertile farmland. The area soon became a hub for agricultural development, with settlers establishing numerous small towns and farming communities. In 1873, Cass County was officially created and named after territorial governor George Washington Cass.
Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Cass County experienced significant growth and development. New rail lines were laid, connecting the county to markets across the region and facilitating the transportation of goods. As the county and its population expanded, new industries emerged, including flour mills, lumber production, and manufacturing.
In the early 20th century, Cass County faced challenges such as drought, economic downturns, and the impact of World War I. However, the county managed to weather these challenges and continued to develop. Today, Cass County is the most populous county in North Dakota and remains a major center for agriculture, as well as a hub for education, healthcare, and industry.