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Historic Name

Upland Elementary School

Address

601 N 5th Street
Upland, CA 91786

Architect

Marsh, Smith & Powell

Evaluation

Building
5/8/2007

Construction Date

1939

Current Owner

Upland School District

Description

The one-story Upland Elementary School is an example of the transition from the Streamline Moderne to the Modern style. Of concrete construction, the building displays cubic massing and a reliance on simple, geometric forms. The line of the flat roof is emphasized by a broad horizontal band that wraps the parapet. The classroom wing at the south end of the school features outdoor circulation, with each room entered off of an exterior corridor. A flat canopy on plain posts defines the space. The ratio of window to solid wall in each classroom is high, with metal casements being extensively utilized. A central projecting wing contains the entrance and one of the focal points of the composition, a rounded glazed bay topped by a bas relief proclaiming "The Truth will make men free." A sign with the name of the school is also notable for its lettering. North of this wing, another outdoor corridor leads to the auditorium.

The second oldest school building in Upland which is still in use, the Elementary School was built in 1939 next to the 1909 Upland Grammar School. Known in later years as the 10th Street School and the Fannie D. Noe School, the old building was demolished after construction of the new school was completed. A fine example of school building, its transitional design was created by the architectural firm of Marsh, smith, and Powell. Norman F. Marsh, the senior member of the team, had been in practice since the turn of the century and was most known for his designs for Abbot Kinneyls Venice of America. with partners avid D. smith and Herbert J. Powell, however, he achieved a reputation as an architect of school buildings.

The south wall of the structure contains four large murals by Paul Julian, typifying the marriage of architecture and symbolic art during the era of the W.P.A. Three doors topped by spandrels with a stepped outline, lead into the auditorium from the east. Nicely landscaped, the original school appears largely unaltered, except for the addition of temporary classrooms. 19. SIGNIFICANCE AND EVALUATION: Among the buildings credited to the firm are the Newport Harbor Union High School (1930), Sierra Madre School (c. 1930), Hollywood High School Science Building (1934-35), Roosevelt School (Santa Monica 1935), South Pasadena High School (1937), McKinley School (Redlands 1938), El Monte High School (1938-39), Pier Avenue School (Hermosa 1939), Carver Elementary School (San Marino 1947), and Sierra Vista Elementary School in Upland (1950). Like many of the schools of the late 1930's the Upland Elementary School design integrates art into a proto modern architectural program. Foreshadowing schools to come, the incorporation of an indoor/outdoor circulation system was also a notable feature of the school. It is significant for its architectural qualities, for its association with a well-known firm, and for its role in Upland community life.