10CN531 - Parma Grade School / Maxine Johnson Elementary School ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Overview 10CN531 is an evolved educational complex composed of connected sections constructed in different periods. The resource includes a 1938 Works Progress Administration school section, later one-story classroom and administrative wings associated with Maxine Johnson Elementary School, cafeteria and service areas, connecting additions, and associated playground and circulation spaces. Differences in height, massing, masonry, windows, roof forms, and entrances make the principal construction phases legible. The Julian Laca Gymnasium, located on the separate middle- and high-school block, is not included in this resource. 1938 WPA-era section The oldest identified section is a substantial rectangular concrete-masonry school building completed in 1938 through the Works Progress Administration. It has a flat roof, a raised central entrance bay, a prominent chimney, and broad classroom elevations divided by shallow pilaster-like projections. The principal entrance is reached by concrete steps and contains paired doors within a restrained geometric surround. Horizontal bands and recessed panels ornament the otherwise plain masonry walls. Grouped windows extend along the classroom elevation, while smaller openings and vents occur near the base. A cast-metal Works Progress Administration plaque records the federal program and construction date. Later elementary-school sections The later elementary-school sections are chiefly one-story, low-profile buildings with irregular rectangular plans, shallow or nearly flat roofs, and concrete-block walls. The 1990 reconnaissance form records concrete-block construction and a circa-1970 date for Maxine Johnson Elementary School. Walls range from painted light-colored block to exposed tan and reddish-brown masonry. Broad metal fascias, now painted blue, emphasize the horizontal rooflines. Windows occur as individual rectangular units, grouped classroom windows, horizontal bands, and large glass-block panels. Recessed entrances, projecting canopies, masonry piers, covered passages, and paved walkways connect the different sections. The principal elementary-school entrance is marked by a broad projecting canopy supported by masonry piers and by applied lettering identifying Maxine Johnson Elementary. Classroom, office, and service wings extend around paved circulation and playground areas. Cafeteria, service, and connecting sections The cafeteria and service portions are low rectangular concrete-block volumes with shallow roofs and limited window openings. Covered entrances, narrow passages, and changes in roof height connect them to adjoining school sections. These junctions, including the meeting of the WPA-era building and later construction, illustrate the incremental expansion of the elementary-school complex. Playground and setting Paved walks, lawns, service drives, courtyards, and playground areas occupy the spaces between the building sections. The playground includes paved activity areas, basketball equipment, and a painted map of the United States. These outdoor spaces help explain the arrangement and continued educational use of the complex. VISIBLE ALTERATIONS Visible alterations include replacement exterior doors and windows, modified or infilled window openings, applied metal fascias and trim, accessibility improvements, surface-mounted mechanical and electrical equipment, and successive connecting additions. Some masonry has been painted. The dates of many later wings and alterations have not yet been confirmed. The 1990 survey recorded the Maxine Johnson Elementary building as circa 1970 and ineligible for the National Register at that time; that prior finding is historical survey evidence rather than an automatic current determination. CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES Whole complex - Continued educational use and legibility as an elementary-school complex - Multiple connected construction phases - Variation in height, massing, masonry, windows, and roof forms - Courtyards, covered passages, paved walks, lawns, and playground spaces - Physical relationship among the WPA-era school, later classroom and office wings, cafeteria and service sections, and outdoor activity areas 1938 WPA-era section - 1938 Works Progress Administration plaque - Rectangular massing and flat roof - Raised and emphasized central entrance bay - Concrete-masonry construction - Restrained geometric wall ornament - Horizontal bands and recessed panels - Shallow pilaster-like wall divisions - Grouped classroom windows - Prominent chimney - Formal relationship to East McConnell Avenue Later elementary-school sections - Low, horizontal, one-story massing - Shallow and nearly flat roof forms - Concrete-block walls in contrasting colors and textures - Broad horizontal metal fascias - Grouped and banded classroom windows - Large glass-block panels - Recessed entrances and projecting canopies - Masonry entrance piers - Covered passages and connections between wings - Low cafeteria and service volumes integrated with the school complex SOURCE AND INTERPRETIVE NOTES - Historic source reviewed: Idaho State Historic Preservation Office reconnaissance form, surveyed February 1990. - The form identifies Maxine Johnson Elementary, 1607 E. McConnell Avenue, concrete-block construction, circa 1970, and a 1990 National Register status of ineligible. - Current photographs confirm a Works Progress Administration plaque dated 1938 on the older section. - Construction dates for the later wings, cafeteria, service areas, and connecting sections remain to be confirmed. - Camera-direction suffixes in photograph filenames record the direction faced by the camera, not necessarily the orientation of the photographed elevation.