Roots run deep in the Roosevelt neighborhood, which is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the former schoolhouse that bears its name.
The school closed in 2005, ending more than 75 years of education. A few years later, nearly two dozen state-of-the-art condos brought the building back to life.
The property also hosts weekly summer concerts and a swath of other exciting activities.
The public is invited to celebrate Roosevelt Elementary School’s opening in 1924 with a special concert performance on Saturday, June 23.
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The Roosevelt still ‘feels like a community’
Sharon and Don Wirth are among the original condo owners who have lived at The Roosevelt for nearly a decade. Original owners still reside in 10 of the building’s 20 condominiums.
The Ames Tribune sat down with Sharon Wirth to discuss the building’s history. She and Don were involved with the school decades before they moved there. Their two children attended elementary school at Roosevelt, and Sharon was involved with the parent-teacher organization.
She appreciates the long history her home exudes.
“It really is a community here in the building. In addition to being a wonderful group of people, they all share a common value of feeling like it’s a community,” she said. “There’s a feeling that it’s important to build community internally and externally.”
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School was the heart of the neighborhood
When Roosevelt was a school, many in the area considered it the heart of the neighborhood. The Ames school district closed the school in 2005 after an extensive review of declining enrollment and the number of buildings within the district. It was a tense and emotional time for families across the city. Many were concerned about losing the hub of their neighborhood.
The two-story brick building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010, though it remained vacant for many years after.
Local developer Dean Jensen purchased the Roosevelt building and the roughly one-acre land it sits on in 2013.
Fifty-five geothermal wells and new 4-by-8-foot windows were among the updates Jesnen made to the building. He developed the property into 20 condos, each with a unique floor plan, making use of many of the historic features, from stairways to chalkboard trays.
The city of Ames owns the 1.3-acre green space on the east side of the building, known as Roosevelt Park. It features a stage used during Roosevelt Summer Sundays free concerts.
Ames’ population was ‘bursting and booming’ when Roosevelt was built
Ames voters approved a bond issue on Feb. 8, 1923, to build Roosevelt Elementary School. A cornerstone for the building was placed later that year, and the school opened on Jan. 28, 1924.
“The population of Ames was just bursting and booming at the time, so the school system was overcrowded,” Wirth said. “They really needed to get something done, and the Ames voters could see that.”
The project, named after Theodore Roosevelt, cost $92,160. Enrollment in the first year was 329, with students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
The school was designed by local architecture firm Kimball, Bailie & Cowgill.
A 10,900-square-foot addition was constructed onto the north side of the building. It opened in September 1969 and cost $210,175.
The expansion was bolstered by a cafeteria-gymnasium combo. The school didn’t have much for a lunchroom prior, and students went home to eat each day.
“The general contractor on the project was Friedrich and Sons, the same family that has Friedrich Iowa Realty today,” Wirth said.
Roosevelt was the longest-serving school built for the Ames district, Wirth said. The historic Hoggatt school is older, but was built for a township rather than the school district.
“Roosevelt really is a special place,” Wirth said. “It has a special place in the community, even 100 years later.”
The building reflects important ties between Iowa State University and the broader Ames community. Allen Kimball, the building’s designer, was the first chairman of the ISU Department of Architecture. Thomas Agg, who was dean of ISU’s engineering college, was president of the school board when Roosevelt opened.
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Clay animals in the architecture were made by students
To help commemorate an addition to the school in 1968, sixth-grade students in Glenn Connor’s art class were invited to create clay animals that were installed into the brick walls.
David S. Miller’s photos-on-metal of the 15 animals are displayed in a hallway on the north side of the building. The actual 24-by-21-inch clay animal tiles, which include a bird, an elephant, a frog, a jellyfish, and a lion among others, are still on the Roosevelt walls. Three are in the stairwell of one condo, four are on an exterior wall on the north side of the building, and the rest line the walls of the second-floor condos.
Wirth recently uncovered the identity of the artists. She welcomes information on the remaining tiles, which include the bee, butterfly, fish 1, fish 2 and snake.
Thriving in the next generation
The current Rosevelt residents regularly host events, including a progressive dinner and a Halloween party. Each year, a group of residents, some in costume, gathers and hands out candy to trick-or-treaters.
“From the very beginning, I feel like Roosevelt had a unique place in the community,” Wirth said. “Community outreach was always so important.”
Roosevelt Summer Sundays, a series of free concerts in the park next door, is celebrating its 21st anniversary this year. The park features a long table, which was originally located in the school building and was known by families as “the potluck table,” Wirth said.
When the Wirths and another couple moved into their homes in December of 2014, they put up Christmas trees. Residents in the neighborhood were pleased to see Roosevelt brought back to life via twinkling lights.
Next Sunday’s commemorative concert, which begins at 7 p.m., is free and features the music of Americana/roots band Ducharme-Jones. A brief presentation about the Roosevelt building will follow, and refreshments will be served.
Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets.
Ronna Faaborg covers business and the arts for the Ames Tribune. Reach her at rfaaborg@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Roosevelt 6th graders who made animal tiles in the ’60s identified
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