Jump to Navigation

National and State Registers of Historic Places

Franklin Elementary School

Picture of property 1403 Metropolitan Avenue
Kansas City (Wyandotte County)
Listed in National Register Jun 26, 2013

Architect: Undetermined
Category: school
Thematic Nomination: Historic Public Schools of Kansas

Argentine was a prosperous city in the late 1880s due to the influence of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (ATSF) Railroad and the Kansas City Consolidated Smelting and Refining Company. The location of the railroad played an important factor in W. N. Ewing's decision to opening a silver smelter, which caused the community to grow quickly. The school-age children of east Argentine attended Lowell School in the 1880s and 1890s, but the area's growing population required additional classroom space. Franklin Elementary School opened in September 1898 and was occupied by four teachers and students in grades one through eight. Shortly after the school opened, the community fell on hard times when the smelter closed and the 1903 flood devastated the area. Argentine was annexed by Kansas City in 1910 and the school became a part of the Kansas City school district. A six-classroom addition was added in 1910 to accommodate the re-distribution of students. The school closed in 1973. It was nominated as part of the "Historic Public Schools of Kansas" multiple property nomination for its local significance in the areas of education and architecture.



New Search