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"A Brief History of Columbus Elementary School"
By Frank Rippl*
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The
School Bell The bell in that tower is
older than the school, and has a unique history itself. When Columbus was
built, one of the local fire stations donated a bell which they no longer
planned to use. It was hung in the tower and called children to school
each day for seventy years. In the 1960's, Columbus installed an automatic
electronic bell system, and the bell was returned to the
Appleton Fire
Department. The Fire Dept. featured it in a memorial to firefighters who
lost their lives fighting Appleton's fires over the years. This memorial
stood outside the Drew Street fire station.
When Columbus celebrated
its centennial in the early 1990's, the Fire Department again presented
the bell to Columbus so that it could be restored to its historic tower.
The Bell is now rung for ceremonial occasions throughout the year by student
representatives. A neighbor, Bill Selle, donated lighting to illuminate
the bell at night. |
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From Amicus to Columbus
Columbus Elementary School
is Appleton's oldest school. It dates back to 1892, the year in
which America celebrated the four-hundredth anniversary of
Christopher Columbus' arrival in this hemisphere. Many buildings
and institutions were given Columbus' name in that year.
Columbus School replaced the smaller
Amicus (Latin for: "friendly") which stood on our present day playground. (When
the playground was being resurfaced a few years ago, they uncovered parts of the
Amicus School's foundation.) The neighborhood at that time was predominantly
German, with many small German meat markets scattered every few blocks. Evidence
of this Germanic presence can be seen in the windows and walls of
Zion Lutheran
Church, and on the cornerstone of the former Methodist Church at the
intersection of Hancock and Superior Streets.
The Building of a New School
The
Hoffman Corporation of Appleton
built Columbus School. The main portion of the school building is in the
architectural style known as "Queen Anne". It was a style used for many large
homes in the 1890's and is evident in the design of the three large houses on
corners surrounding the school grounds. The style features a steep roof coming
to a peak, with irregular, non-symmetrically placed windows and gables. The
ornamental tinwork outlining the gables is crowned with finials. The massive
bell tower, with its huge stones lifted high above the street is built in the Itallianate style. The three Romanesque arches on each side are closed in with
delicate wrought iron fencing.
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Columbus Survives
One by one the great 19th century
school buildings in Appleton were demolished and replaced by new structures.
Washington school (1895) was left standing and is now an apartment building, but
Columbus is the only one still being used as a school.
Columbus Goes Through Changes
The building, except
for a few changes, has remained fairly close to what it had been when it
first opened, although for a number of years the bricks were painted pink.
In 1987, a much-needed addition was added to update the building. The addition
included a gym/multipurpose room, a kitchen, a library, and office space.
New washrooms were added on the 2nd and 3rd floors, a teachers' lounge
was expanded, the old gym was converted into a music/art room, and an elevator
was installed. The exterior was sandblasted restoring the original Milwaukee
Cream color to the brick, and new windows were installed.
Columbus Elementary School
is now poised to continue serving the needs of the children in its historic
neighborhood as it enters the third century in which it has existed.
*Frank Rippl has taught vocal music at
Columbus.
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