WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Woodward School
St. George, Utah

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LOCATION

100 W. Tabernacle
St. George, UT 84770

Southeast corner of Tabernacle and 100 West

37° 6' 28" North Latitude, 113° 35' 2" West Longitude

DESCRIPTION

Woodward Elementary School is a two-story structure built of locally quarried stone. Volcanic stone for the foundation had been intended for an earlier structure which was never built. The walls are rough-faced, regular coursed red sandstone. Following a scheme similar to that of the Washington Elementary school and the Old Dixie College building which is located at the opposite corner of the Tabernacle Block, it is characteristic of many school buildings of the period. From the rectangular, truncated hip roofed central mass, gabled bays project on each elevation forming a symmetrical configuration. Atop the main entrance pavilion is a hipped roof bell tower or cupola. Under the wide eaves are decorative brackets. Entrances on the east and west elevations are round arched.

Windows are double hung sash types arranged in groups of three and four. Lintels are rough-faced blocks, coursed in conjunction with the walls. Sills are fully dressed ashlar elements which break the coursing somewhat.

Like the Old Dixie College building the Woodward School seems heavily influenced by late Victorian forms, but especially by the Richardsonian Romanesque style in the handling of materials, simplicity of form, window treatment and minimum detail. The rough-faced masonry and round arched entries are of course the primary indicator of this parellel.

HISTORY

During the 1870 and 1880s, overflow from the regular schools spilled into buildings such as the basement of the Tabernacle (three rooms), the upper floor in the old courthouse, the Gardener's Club, the building on First North built by J. W. Nixon for his tin shop, and others. By the 1890s, it became clear that something had to be done to expand the schools. In April of 1897, meetings were held to decide what to do. It was decided that a new central school building would be constructed on the northwest corner of the public square. A 2% tax (the maximum allowed by law) was levied for the year.

The city granted the site and construction began in 1898. By the end of the year, $7,000 had been spent putting in the foundation. They found the ground had to be tamped and filled with small lava rock to provide a suitable foundation for such a large building. The foundation was built with black volcanic rock that had been cut some years before, when plans were laid for the construction of of a stake academy. Each year, a new tax was levied and the work slowly went forward.

The Woodward School was finished and opened its doors in September of 1901. It was named after George Woodward, a childless resident, who had served as chairman of the school board during the construction. He also donated a substantial sum of money ($3,000) for the hardware and glass. They he bought the heating plant and the school's first piano. All the students from the First Ward, Second Ward, Third Ward, and Fourth Ward schools were brought together into this new school.

The school was a real change from the previous schools. There was a lot more space, the classrooms had blackboards on three walls, they had radiator heat rather than pot-bellied stoves that were either too hot or too cold, and there were real notebooks rather than heavy breakable slates.

Elementary students in St. George attended Woodward School until ???? when the elementary grades (up through sixth grade) were moved over to the new St. George Elementary School. Seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth grades remained at Woodward as it became Woodward Junior high School.

The Woodward School Building was put on the National Register of Historic Places (#1980003989) on November 23, 1980.

The Woodward School building was used for District offices for a while.

After the new Washington County School District building was finished on Tabernacle Street, the Woodward School building was remodeled to become the District's media and technology center.

PHOTOS

WCHS photos:
WCHS-00303     Photos of West Elementary School, The Annex Building, and Woodward School in 1984-1985

Other photos on the web:
Photo of Grant Hafen (teacher) and some of his Woodward School students
Photos from the National Register of Historic Places nomination form

REFERENCES

Landmark and Historic Sites: City of St. George, pp. 52-1 through 52-3.

Washington County D.U.P., "Under Dixie Sun - A History of Washington County"
pp. 300-302

Woodward School

National Register of Historic Places, Inventory - Nomination Form