National and State Registers of Historic Places
John A. Martin Grade School (Martin East)
507 Division
Atchison (Atchison County)
Listed in National Register
2016-06-23
Architect: Saylor & Seddon; Radotinshy, Joseph W.
Category: school
Thematic Nomination: Historic Public Schools of Kansas
Atchison's 1915 John A. Martin Grade School exemplifies a city graded school from the pre-World War I era. W. H. Saylor & Herbert R. Seddon, of the firm Saylor & Seddon, designed the three-story Classical Revival masonry structure with classrooms and specialized rooms for manual training and assembly. In 1952 a one-story brick gymnasium, designed by Joseph W. Radotinsky, was added. From 1915 to 1955, the Martin School served white students while two blocks west, the Lincoln School served African-American children. When the district was fully integrated, the Martin School served all students from kindergarten through third grades. The John A. Martin Grade School retains a high degree of architectural integrity from its period of significance, 1915 to 1966; it continued to function as an elementary school through May 1997.
