Henry St. John School

Date built: 1925

Architect: Arthur N. Gibb

Designed in the popular Collegiate Gothic style, this red brick and cast-concrete school’s main entrance faces S. Geneva Street and sits in a mainly residential area bordering on the downtown. The school, now an office and apartment building, was part of a modernizing wave of elementary school construction in the 1920s and 1930s responding to population growth in the community. The substantial Bloodgood home formerly stood on the site. The school was designed with a large and expansive basement area to provide adequate ventilation and accommodate various utilities. Classrooms and a combination gymnasium and auditorium originally filled the two floors above the basement. The school was named for Henry St. John, Ithaca’s first Superintendent of Public Works, third Mayor, and longtime school board member who advocated for the construction of new schools. Henry St. John was born in Ithaca and passed away one month before the dedication of his namesake school.

Learn more about the Henry St. John building through the 'Henry St. John District Historic Walking Tour' on PocketSights.

Image courtesy of The History Center in Tompkins County archival collections: V20-67

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