Wyman School

Wyman School
Old Wyman School, September 2012
Location100 Dunbar St., Excelsior Springs, Missouri
Coordinates39°20′42″N 94°13′42″W / 39.34500°N 94.22833°W / 39.34500; -94.22833
Area1.8 acres (0.73 ha)
Built1912 (1912)
Architectural styleClassical Revival
NRHP reference No.08000695[1]
Added to NRHPJuly 24, 2008

Wyman School, also known as Excelsior Springs High School (and later Wyman Public/Elementary School until the mid-1990s), is a historic school building located at Excelsior Springs, Clay County, Missouri.

History

The school was built in 1912.[2][3] The building is a three-story, rectangular brick building with Classical Revival design elements. It has a flat roof and sits in a limestone foundation. Also on the property is the contributing power plant (1913) and a classroom annex (a non-historic prefabricated building that sits west of the power plant).[4]: 5 

The Wyman School was named after Anson Wyman, founder of Excelsior Springs.[3]

The school was eventually converted to an elementary school.

After classes ended in the mid-1990s, the building was used as a community theatre before becoming vacant.[2][5]

The Wyman School was purchased by the city of Excelsior Springs.[2]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.[1]

On July 5, 2022, the power plant on the south end of the school was demolished.[2][6] This structure was built in 1913 to provide heat via a coal-burning furnace.[2] Due to a partial roof collapse noted in 2008 and the extent of damage discovered during a 2021 environmental study, the city decided to demolish the power plant structure.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Cole, S. Jason (September 17, 2023). "Powering Down: Wyman School 'Power Plant' Demolished". Excelsior Citizen. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Woodson, W.H. (1920). History of Clay County, Missouri. Topeka, Kansas: Historical Publishing Company. pp. 174–188.
  4. ^ Elizabeth Rosin and Kristen Ottesen (March 2008). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Wyman School" (PDF). Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  5. ^ "Jim and Ruth Arnold own WYMAN PLACE, the former Wyman School". The Excelsior Springs Standard. March 5, 1997. p. 7.
  6. ^ Rice, Bryan (July 8, 2022). "Wyman power plant demolished". Excelsior Springs Standard. Retrieved September 19, 2023.