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Historic Name

Upland Junior High School

Address

444 E 11th Street
Upland, CA 91786

Evaluation

Building
5/7/2007

Construction Date

1928

Description

Upland Junior High is a one and two-story building in the Spanish style. Of reinforced concrete construction, the building has a "T" plan. Tiled front and side gable roofs cap the wings. The cross of the "T" is one-story and forms the primary facade. It is dominated by a central pavilion which is slightly recessed. Originally topped by a tiled pyramid, the bay is formed by shallow piers and steps back once near the top. A mosaic portraying three symbolic figures and the legend "Learning is Lifew is centered over the incised name of the school and a tall archway. The arch, which is corbeled inward slightly at the imposts in a manner faintly suggestive of a horseshoe arch is filled with a decorative iron grille. Recessed behind a vestibule, the entry is capped by a large window which echoes the shape of the arch. The door and its transom have been replaced. A pair of urns flank the opening.

The Upland Junior High School is significant as the oldest school building still in use in Upland, for its role in community life, and for its architectural qualities. Erected in 1928, the school was designed by Riverside architect G. Stanley Wilson. An Englishman, Wilson began his architectural career in California in 1909. He distinguished himself as an architect of schools, numerous residences, civic buildings such as the Riverside Municipal Auditorium (with A.B. Benton) and the Fullerton City Hall. His most famous work was for Frank Miller, for whom he designed a large wing of the Mission Inn. In Upland he was the architect of the Woman's Club. In designing the Junior High, Wilson said in an article he wrote about the school, his goals were efficiency and economy achieved through "simplicity in architectural design and construction."

To the east a wing containing five bays is terminated by a smaller pavilion. It is banded near the top by a row of colored tile. Slightly raised piers define the bays, which contain reglazed windows within arched openings. The west wing contains seven bays of flat-headed windows, also re-glazed, next to a pair of arched openings adjacent to the central pavilion. Behind the pavilion a two-story wing containing classrooms is topped by the front gable which ends in a crenelated parapet. Other notable features include an arcade on the south side of the one-story wing and a Moorish flavored balcony on the west elevation of the two-story wing. Alterations to the building include extensive and compromising replacement of the windows and doors, the removal of the pyramid, and the elimination of a chimney above the west wing. The school is in good condition.

Hence the use of unadorned concrete, the modest degree of applied ornament, and the organization of the plan to segregate various school functions. When completed the 27,000 square foot facility cost $83,000. Harved W. Cook was the first principal. The construction of the school marked a turning point in Upland, when the population had reached sufficiently high numbers to warrant an intermediate school. As a result most of Upland's citizens who were of the appropriate age in 1928 and later passed through its halls. It remained the only junior high in Upland until 1962.