National and State Registers of Historic Places
Murray Hill School
400 West 3rd Street
Chanute (Neosho County)
Listed in National Register
2011-08-23
Architect: Williamson, Thomas W. & Loebsack, Victor H.
Category: vacant/not in use; school
Thematic Nomination: Historic Public Schools of Kansas
The Murray Hill School, built in 1951, occupies a site that has a long association with education in Chanute. The first school was built on the site in 1887, and when it burned in December 1901, the city built a larger school on the same site. The first Murray Hill School was completed in November 1902. Population growth in the 1910s and again in the 1950s pushed the community to reassess local educational needs. The Topeka architecture firm Williamson & Loebsack, which was well known for their civic and educational designs in the 20th century, completed drawings for the new Cross School in October 1950 and the new Murray Hill School in February 1951. The two Chanute schools are very similar to each other in design and materials and reflect national trends for school design. The simple form of the Modern Movement, with minimal architectural ornament and a strong horizontal emphasis was often employed in the design of post-WWII elementary schools. The Murray Hill School retains many of its simple, Modern Movement architectural features and its historic interior configuration. In 2008, the Unified School District built a new consolidated Chanute Elementary School on the outskirts of the city and closed the three elementary schools at the end of the 2008-2009 school year.
