SCHOOL ARCHITECTURE
Plans and suggestion for building
one, two, three, and four-
room schoolhouses
Department of Education
State of Georgia
M. L. Brittain,
State School Superintendent
Atlanta, Ga.
attractive schoolhouse as an ugly
one. &e Georgia., like old Greece
is a beautiful land. &$ Mountain and
sea^ forest and river^ tree and flower
unite to make it as fair as the poet's
loved Italia. &$ This beauty is a
practical asset and should not be
marred by dreary^ stableJike school
houses and unkempt grounds. ^
Our boys and girls should not be
trained in the midst of slattern and
shiftless surroundings.
partment of Education for plans and suggestions for
school houses. It is a well-known fact that properly
constructed huildings can be erected in many cases at
a cost very little more than for poor houses. To aid by furnish-
ing suggestive material and with the further idea of creating
more interest in the matter of tasteful and appropriate school
architecture, the services of Mr. Hal Heiitz, of the firm of Hentz
& Reed, architects, were secured in the preparation of the fol-
loAving plans.
principles of ventilation and light. As will be seen by the
pages that follow, the instructions given the architect were to
prepare three different styles each for the one, two, three, and
four-room school house plans. The three designs are colonial,
mission or bungalow, and a third as simple and economical as
possible.
L. A. Kolbach, of the United States Department of Education,
for aid in securing several excellent designs which have at-
tracted attention in other parts of the country.
elaborate buildings will be found in the pamphlet, though these
last are intended to be merely suggestive. If a community de-
sires a house larger than a three or four-room building, it would
be economy in the end to secure the services of an architect.
The purpose of this pamphlet, mainly, is to furnish practical
aid to those communities unable to secure the services of a
trained expert, and who are compelled by circumstances to rely
chiefly upon their own efforts in building.
grace and beauty manifest in structure and grounds, will have
an influence for good, not only upon pupils, but upon the entire
community. Preventable ugliness is a sin, especially when it
is forced upon children in the formative years of their lives,
and the pity of it is that the barn-like houses in which s'o many
of our children are taught would cost little if any more if some-
thing of taste and beauty were evident in the houses and
grounds. Let us make the school what it should l>e the most
attractive place in the community.
SKETCHES SUGGESTING PLANS AND ELEVATIONS
four-room schools are suggestions for the rural school
house, and are an effort to combine good taste and
economy of construction with logical planning.
Simplicity of construction and of the structure does not neces-
sitate ugliness. Good proportions and pleasing compositions
can always be had.
the simple school house that will not only add to its beauty,
but also will serve as a practical means in arousing the interest
of the pupil. Experience has taught that one of the strongest
appeals to the pupils is to interest them in beautifying the school.
Therefore simple and inexpensive means of doing this are pro-
vided. The use of the trellis or lattice work and flower boxes
under the windows is suggested. Lattice work made by simple
% x 1 inch material tacked together into simple, pleasing pat-
terns, and blocked to walls, leaving a two-inch space between
same and walls, not only affords a sparkle of light and shadow
that gives to the wall a finished effect, but affords a stand for
vines to grow. Flower boxes under the windows likewise are a
part of the house, and have practical value as a place for
flowers that are under the care of the pupil together with the
teacher.
tion with an abundance of shade trees can not be too strongly
emphasized. The sketches are along practical lines, with sug-
gestions that not only may add charm and quaintness to the
effect, but should arouse the interest of the pupil.
approximates the cost.
viding for small entrance porch, coat closet, and large class
room. The light is all from one side, pouring over the left
shoulder of the pupil. If further light or ventilation is needed
it should he on the opposite side, but never in the face of the
pupil or the teacher. It should be built with weatherboard or
shingle siding, with a shingle roof. It can be erected from
$275.00 to $400.00. "B," essentially the same scheme, pro-
vides for a larger entrance porch, and is not quite as simple or
economical in construction as "A." It should be built of
weatherboards for exterior. Its cost is estimated at from
$300.00 to $425.00. "C" is rather more elaborate in plan,
providing separate cloak rooms for girls and boys. Its exterior
is classic in treatment, and suggests more the public building
than either "A" or "B." It should be built of brick, but can
be made of wood frame with weatherboards for exterior. Its
cost is estimated at from $700.00 to $900.00 ; in brick at from
$1,000.00 to $1,200.00.
provides separate class rooms for boys and girls, and a common
stack for the heater flues. The exterior of "A" and "B" are
similarly treated along the bungalow style. "A" is less ex-
pensive and simpler in treatment than "B." A lattice border
around the windows of the cloak room is suggested. Each
should be built of shingles or weatherboarding on the exterior,
and should cost from $000.00 to $1,200.00. "C" is classical
in treatment. Its plan elongated affords an opportunity for
cutting windows in rear and providing cross ventilation and
light without blinding either pupils or teacher. The use of
columns give it the dignity of a public building. The bell
tower suggests the school and adds to the effect, though it can
be omitted without harm to the building. This can be built in
weatherboard or brick. If in wood its cost is estimated at from
$1,100.00 to $1,300.00; if brick from $1,500.00 to $1,800.00.
made quite charming with its separate entrances flanking the
middle class room. Again the use of lattice work is suggested.
In the gables plaster between the open timber affords a unique
treatment.
or Spanish style. It can be built of either rough brick stuccoed
over, or if frame, with metal lath nailed to a storm sheathing,
and on this the stucco applied. If the tile roof is too great an
expense, shingles stained red will give a similar effect.
terior treatment as the classic two-room school previously men-
tioned, and like that can be built of either brick or wood ; if in
wood the cost is estimated at from $1,600.00 to $1,900.00 ; if in
brick from $2,000.00 to $2,500.00.
schools have similar plans, providing two class rooms and two
coat rooms on the first floor and two class rooms on the second
floor, with small library on one side and teachers' room on the
other, corresponding to two coat rooms of the first floor, each to
be entered from stair hall. Double stairs are shown, providing
ample facilities for exit in case of fire.
not suggest the school idea. It can be built for from $1,800.00
to $2,000.00.
above this plaster with open timber, the plaster applied to metal
lath nailed to sheathing. Its cost is estimated at from
$2,500.00 to $3,000.00.
Its cost is estimated at from $3,000.00 to $3,500.00.
most economical treatment, and will vary according to the lo-
cality, its accessibility to a depot for materials, etc., and the
local cost of labor.
TECTURE
center of the district. It should be accessible to the
principal public highway, but far enough removed
from it to be free from dust and distractions. Where
a consolidated district provides transportation for its more dis-
tant pupils, it is sometimes best to place the building nearer to
one end of the district, so that the pupils from that section may
walk to school, leaving only the distant pupils from the other
section to be transported.
school board will secure school grounds containing three or four
acres. With a four-acre tract it is possible to have a play
ground and space for a school garden.
deep; for a two-acre tract 16 rods front by 20 rods deep; and
for a four-acre tract 20 rods front by 32 rods deep.
but not so rolling as to cause troublesome washing. Parts of
it should be level enough to furnish satisfactory play grounds
and athletic field.
house on the most barren spot in the district. With the advent
of the school garden it is desirable that a more fertile soil should
be selected.
to place the building so that the school yard left back of it is a
square. This gives a large back yard for play grounds, and
front and side yards large enough for flowers, scrubbery, and a
school garden. The school garden should never be allowed to
trespass upon the play ground space.
should be placed at the extreme back corners, and should have
large the closets should be placed on the sides of the lot at a
convenient distance from the school house, and the rear may
then be reserved for a ball ground or athletic field.
school building. These, too, should be placed on the rear of the
lot, and a screen of vines should cover the walls.
should also be enclosed by a good fence.
external appearance, should determine the architecture. The
school room is the unit in all school house construction. The
room should embody certain essential principles, and should
not vary widely from the standard described below.
be determined by the size of the school to be accommodated, and
the finish and architectural adornment will depend on the taste
of the community and the money at the disposal of the trustees.
It is possible to embody the essential principles of good s'chool
construction in a very inexpensive building, or In a very
elaborate one.
and 12 or 13 feet high.
principal light will come from the east or north. This avoids
the direct glare from the sun.
and on the left side of the pupils. They should be close to-
gether, so as to avoid cross lights and shadows. The front win-
dow on the side should not be placed beyond the front row of
desks, and the rear window should be near the rear wall. No
class room should have windows on opposite sides. It is better
to have the light come from the left side of the pupils only.
There should be no windows to the front or on the right of the
pupils. Windows placed in the rear should either be transom
shades to protect the eyesight of the teacher. Since the best
light comes from above the heads of the pupils, the tops of
the windows should be within six inches of the ceiling. The
area of the glass in the class room should be one-fifth to one-
fourth the floor space. The room 24 by 32 feet should have at
least 150 square feet of window space. This would mean five
windows eight feet high and three feet wide banked on the left
side, and two such windows in the rear. All window sash
should be hung on pulleys.
the use of the room inside, and not our conceptions of exterior
symmetry. The plans which follow this pamphlet will show
how this standard school room can be worked into a building
which is also presentable on the outside.
bottom on a spring roller with handle attached and which is
hung on a cord running through a stop pulley at the top of the
window. Such a shade may be placed in any position on the
window.
walls where there are no windows. They should be placed 28
inches from the floor in rural schools. All boards should be
provided with ample chalk rails for holding crayon and erasers.
school is the woodpulp composition board, now manufactured
under various names. This may be had in convenient lengths,
and is durable and easy to put in place. The dark green board
is very agreeable to the eyes. The writing surface of this board
may be renewed by an application of liquid slating.
five by six feet and six inches high for the teacher's desk and
chair. This platform gives the teacher a better command of
the class during general exercises and study periods.
place in the class room, a book case with glass doors and with
locker underneath could be built in the wall. This should be
provided with lock and key.
lower floor being laid diagonally, and the top floor tongued and
grooved, with building paper between, and should be stained
with a dark oil stain. Much sickness, discomfort, and poor
work in school are caused by defective floors. The entire ex-
terior of the building should be covered with storm sheathing,
nailed diagonally; on top of which is nailed the weatherboard-
ing, with building paper between. The double floor and sheath-
ing will make the building much more comfortable and will
make quite a reduction in the fuel bill.
rural school. The ordinary heating apparatus of these schools
consists of a square box stove, placed in the center of the room,
from which heat is received by the pupils through direct radia-
tion. This usually means that pupils seated near the stove are
too hot, and that those distant -from it are too cold. Its posi-
tion in the center of the room interferes seriously with the
seating arrangement.
jacketed stove which heats the room by producing a circulation
of warmed air through all parts of it. The principle of this
stove is very simple. The cold air is taken through a pipe from
outside the building, and is carried through or under the sheet
iron into contact with the hot stove on the inside. It is there
heated, rises to the ceiling, and settles down over the entire
room, producing a uniform temperature. As the impure air in
the room settles to the floor, it is forced up through a pipe or
wall register into a section of the flue, and carried from the
near the. stove.
are said to be very satisfactory. A tinner or blcaksmith, how-
ever, can very easily make a tin,, zinc, or sheet iron jacket for
the ordinary stove, which will be very satisfactory. The jacket
should extend at least eight inches above the stove, and should,
of course, be provided with a door, which may be opened for
putting fuel in the stove. The cold air may be brought to the
stove through a grated opening in the floor within the jacket,
to which a duct two feet square, or equivalent, leads from under
the floor outside of the building. The exit of the impure air
should alw 7 ays be placed near the floor, and the smoke flue and
the ventilating flue should be placed side by side, so that the
heat from the first may assist in causing the draft .essential to
satisfactory ventilation through the second. If this opening
is placed near the ceiling, the air warmed in the jacket will pass
out of the room immediately without settling. The temperature
of the school room should be kept between 68 and 70 degrees.
The windows should be opened and the room thoroughly aired
at recess and at the close of the school session. Thirty cubic
feet of air per minute per pupil, or 1,800 per hour, is the ac-
cepted standard for school room ventilation.
The initial cost of single desk seating is greater than that of
double desks, but this is more than balanced by the better ordei'
and discipline made possible by the single desks. The desks in
such a school room will be arranged in six rows, each containing
one "front," one "rear," and seven "completes." School desks
are made in standard sizes, and are numbered from No. 6, the
very smallest desk, adapted to kindergarten and primary pupils,
to No. 1, made for college students.
needed two rows of No. 5, two rows of No. 4, and one row each
of No. 3 and No. 2. In an ungraded school two No. 4 recitation
benches six feet long should be provided. .For a larger school,
desks should be ordered in about this same proportion of sizes.
of tops, and the size should determine the distance between backs
as they are placed upon the floor. The spacing distance from back
to back for a No. 5 is 22 inches, for No. 4 is 24 inches, for "No.
3 is 26 inches, and for a No. 2 is 28 inches. Any attempt to place
desks of varying sizes in line across the room will necessitate
improper posture by the occupants of some of them. Especial
care should be taken to see that desks are properly put together.
This will double the life of the desk.
one-half by three inch strips, instead of fastening them to the
floor. The rows are then easily moved for cleaning the floor or
for convenient seating when two or more rooms are thrown into
an auditorium. The aisles should be about two feet wide, and
a broad aisle should be left all around the school room.
the above specifications, should be about $115.00 at the factory.
There are great differences in the quality of school desks. It
is always poor economy to purchase a poor desk at any price.
The cheap all wood desk, sometimes sold, should be avoided.
largely on the painting and the tinting of the walls. This sub-
ject is usually very much neglected. The glaring white walls,
and deep blues, yellows and reds should be avoided. For rooms
where the lighting is not the best, a cream is desirable. In gen-
eral the best color for the school room is green. The wainscot-
ing and woodwork should be a deep olive, the walls up to the
picture moulding a s'age green, and the ceiling a lighter stone
green or cream color. All inside coloring should be "dull
finish." For the woodwork the green stain and a "wax finish"
is the cheapest as well as the best. An inferior grade of lumber
can be used on the interior if well painted. All interior wood-
work should be flat and plain, and all deep cut moulding avoided
as far as practicable. These mouldings catch dust and are dif-
ficult to keep clean. A picture moulding should be put on the
walls of the room about 18 inches below the ceiling. A good
finish can be gotten by wainscoting the space around the room
NOTE THE DREARY SHIFTLESSNESS IN THE VERY ATMOSPHERE OF SUCH A SCHOOL
desirable as the plaster and baseboard. A sanitary finish can be
obtained by omitting all wood casing around the windows, and
plastering the corner round against the window frame, and
using a very narrow baseboard and few mouldings. The
plastering should have a very fine sand finish.
corner of the class room, or to allow wet coats and umbrellas
to dry out in the room occupied by the pupils. Everv class
room in a school building should be provided with a cloak room
adjacent to it sufficiently large to accommodate the hats and
cloaks of the occupants. It should be provided with shelves and
two rows of hooks for hats and coats. It should in all cases
have outside ventilation by windows.
be stored. A pile of wood in the room itself does not contribute
to an orderly class room.
there are many exercises other than study and recitation from
the text books of the course which can be profitably conducted
in connection with the rural school.
subject worthy of a place in the curriculum. For the country
boy the varied exercises of the home and farm may take the
place to some extent of the formal manual training course.
Nevertheless, we believe that in every country school there
should be the ordinary tools of the country home, such as the
hammer and nails, brace and bit, paint and brushes, saw, axe,
and plane and the boy should be encouraged to use them in
making the school house and grounds more comfortable and at
tractive. An admirable beginning for a school Improvement
league among the children of a district would be the acquisition
of a few school tools and a little lumber, coupled with a few sug-
gestions from the teacher as to desirable repairs and improve-
ments in the building and surroundings.
FLOOR PLAN OF THE SAME
munity life, the school auditorium will become more important
and necessary as a part of the school building. When the
finances of a district will not allow the construction of a sepa-
rate auditorium, it is possible to arrange the building so that
two rooms may be thrown into one when the occasion demands.
If the desks are not screwed to the floor, but are attached to
strips, as indicated above, they may be easily shifted so as to
face in one direction when desired. If the teacher's platforms
are movable, they, too, may be shifted to form a temporary
stage. In the plans presented the rooms may easily be thrown
together in this way.
as a minimum equipment for good work:
visitors.
the United States, North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa,
and a physical map of North America. It is most economical
in the end to buy these maps in the steel case mounting.
of weights and measures, charts to assist in the teaching of the
school subjects, and other auxiliaries suggested by the teacher.
The skilled teacher and responsive pupils will gradually develop
a school museum which will greatly enrich the work.
clean, and occupied by an enthusiastic teacher and busy, inter-
ested children, will require very little decoration to complete it.
Avoid especially burdening the walls with cheap chromos. A
few good pictures, which appeal to the understanding of the
children, framed in good taste and hung artistically, will do
much to cultivate the sesthetic sense of the pupils.
be kept unbarred and unlocked while school is in session. It is
best for the class room doors to open inwards so the teacher can
have control over her pupils in case of panic. All entrances
should be wide and be provided with a porch or vestibule so
children can find shelter if they come before school is opened.
least ten feet wide. The stairways should be at least five feet
and the nights should be broken by landings whenever this
is possible. Winding stairways, sharp turns, irregular treads,
and steep ascents should, of course, be avoided.
whole exterior has been given three coats of good lead and
oil paint. This not only adds to the beauty of the building, but
prolongs its life as well. In selecting the paint, glaring colors
should be avoided and neutral tints selected. Good taste in the
selection of colors and harmonious trimmings will make the
school building contribute to the elevation of the aesthetic taste
of the whole community. Good results can be gotten, by the use
of stained shingles on the sides of the building.
is in harmony with the house. Strive to make this the most
attractive in the neighborhood. It ought to be the one place
where its young life is gathered almost daily.
and shrubs rather than flowers. Arrange in groups or mass,
leaving the center open as far as possible.
There are at least a dozen different trees in your vicinity that
would adorn the school grounds. Some of these are the oak,
elm, maple, dogwood, ash, tulip-tree, and poplar.
Its crimson blossoms give a " joyous color note in the very be-
ginning of spring's overture." These are followed by brilliant
samaras or keys and in the autumn the leaves have a splendid
coloring with their rich scarlet hues. In early spring the dog-
wood presents a beautiful array of showy white leaves, incor-
rectly called flowers, and in the fall its red berries are also ef-
fective. Nor must the peach and apple trees be overlooked.
The truth is nearly all trees are beautiful.
STARBUCK, ARCHITECT.
privet California or Amoor river while the wistaria, honey-
suckle, or wild rose should be trained over the lattice work in
front of the outbuildings.
will add much to the appearance of the grounds within a few
months. Plant according to some definite plan, securing the
lielp of the mothers in the neighborhood.
Educational Association says that children should be daily
surrounded by influences that elevate them, that make them
love flowers, pictures, and proper decorations, until at last they
reach that degree of culture that nothing else will satisfy them.
When they grow up and have homes of their ow r n they must
have them clean, neat and bright with pictures and fringed with
shade trees and flowers, for they have been brought up to be
happy in no other environment.
think as to the comparison of the two communities in culture
and refinement ?
needs attention (and has frequently never received it)
is the closet. It appears to be regarded as a nuisance
without remedy. We seem to be resigned to the idea,
that our children must be confronted here daily by shameful
and sometimes obscene conditions which are a disgrace to civili-
zation. These conditions should no more be allowed at school
than at home. The school closets should be kept clean. The
responsibility for this should not be placed upon the teacher
alone particularly if she is a young lady.
tion, provide a lock and key, and require frequent inspection.
Furnish lime or other disinfectants when needed. There should
be little trouble with ordinary care and attention where there
are systems of water and sewerage. The dry closet is the most
difficult to keep in a decent and sanitary condition. To aid at
this point I have secured the help of Dr. A. G. Fort, of the
State Board of Health, who furnishes the following suggestions
as to construction :
of Education, we have prepared plans and specifications for
the building of sanitary surface closets. While incinerators,
and sewage are better, yet, we realize that it is not every com-
munity that can install these systems at their schools, so we
here present the next best method, which is considered about
75 per cent, perfect.
proper building, use, and care of the closet. By properly
building the same, flies can be screened from the contents of the
vaults, thereby preventing the spread of typhoid fever and
summer diarrhoeas. The refuse material can be properly dis-
posed of, thereby preventing soil pollution and the spread of
hookworm disease, with its fearful results ; also the portection
of the water supply from contamination. Privacy is insured
and the scholars are most apt to form habits, the value of which
to health, not to speak of character, will be great,
to make it attractive, so far as possible, and to avoid the dan-
gers attendant on the careless disposal of "night soil."
as near as possible the demands of economy, simplicity, and
safety.
lic Schools, for the cuts and for the greater part of plans and
specifications here given.
Director of Field Sanitation,
Approved by:
100 running feet 2x3.
16 running feet 4 x %.
2 pieces' matched boards 4 ft. long by 9 in. wide, or 1 piece
250 ft. % in. boards.
250 ft. strips or battens.
2 hinges, 6-in. strap, for front door.
2 hinges, 6-in. "T," for vault door.
4 hinges, 3-in. "butts," for covers.
lumber and grade of stock used.
vault door as shown in Figures 2 and 4 should open on inside
at point as shown in Figure 3 marked seat, and not in back.
vault during construction. The door in back as shown in Fig-
preferable.
and seat.
erable ; 4 x 4 could be used in place of 2x4, and 2x4 instead
of 2 x 3. We will refer to the lighter material.
ground at right distance for girders. (G, Fig. 5.) Toe-nail
(Fig. 11) firmly the remaining four joists (J, Fig. 5). Care
should be taken to have the corners of this frame square. Raise
same about 2 in. above ground by placing brick or flat stone
under it. Carefully level it.
square.
fectly square. The square end should fit well on the floor.
Place 2 of these against a straight piece of board (Fig 12), so
that the ends are 4 ft. apart and the pieces square TO the board.
Now measure upon the outside edge of one piece 8 ft. 3 in. and
on the inside edge of the other 5 ft. 10 in. Place a straight
board across these marks and draw a slanting line across the
2x3 (Fig. 12). Saw on these lines and you have two posts,
Make other two same way.
long (x and y, Fig. 6). Be careful that the brace in back is
right height to make header for door, if you prefer door in back.
and even (flush) with the slanting ends. Mark the piece on the
inside, knock it off, saw and fit in. (R, Fig. 6.)
right to carry the roof boards.
screens (Fig. 9), be careful that the one for the vault is far
enough down. (See Fig. 2.) Take the planks, mark them to
fit as shown in Fig. 5. Be sure to leave the opening for vault
door, if the open back style is used.
hang over 6 in. in front and back, and 4 or 5 in. at the sides.
Nail them in place as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. See that there
are no cracks for flies to crawl through. If so, cover them.
strips will be needed on walls, but to make the roof water tight,
they must be used over the cracks, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6.
whole house.
the front as shown in Fig. 7. It is better to have same braced
with 2 x 3s and the door made to open in the front of the vault,
care being taken to make it sufficiently large for the easy re-
moval of the receptacle.
wide, or 1 piece board 4 ft. long and 18 in. wide, matched
boards to be used. See Fig. 7 for construction of the hole.
means of a cardboard. Nail is driven through one hole, and
front of the seat as shown in Fig. 15. All openings left back
of seat should be completely closed. Xail a strip (V) at the
back to carry hinges for the covers.
for the vault, if the open back method is used, as shown in
Fig. 6, but preferably the door for the vault should open in
front, as shown in Fig. 7.
Fig. 16, to fit tight over the door, tack wire screening (copper
is best, but galvanized iron is good) over each opening and cover
the edges with strips as shown in Fig. 17.
on the door so it can not be left open carelessly.
or tub may be used ; care being taken that the top of same should
be only 2 or 3 in. from the hole.
often if necessary. The fecal material should be burned or
buried at least 200 ft. from the well and at a place slanting
from the house and well.
occasionally, and will greatly aid in keeping down bad odors.
architecture and sanitation, as good a building as there is in
the community. As the cathedral, town hall, public library,
or capitol building represents the civic pride of a munici-
pality, so the rural school house should represent the pride
of the rural community. It should be a model of archi-
tectural adaptation to use and of sanitary excellence. It
should, if possible, be a building a little better than any other
building in the community, because here you have the young
brought together and subject to influences either harmful or
beneficial. The problem here is the care of the growing child.
This building for the training of the young may be made in any
community, by intelligent planning and without unreasonable
expense, a structure of genuine beauty and of continual joy and
comfort."
YC 57677
292943
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY
UC-NRLF
GIFT OF
GIFT
OCT 8 1914
It
cfittettttr
Georgia
glrrfntecture
