National Register of Historic Places Registration Form

Southington Local School District Campus
Name of Property
Trumbull County
Ohio
County and State
administrative offices.This building was attached to the 1906 building through the 1952 addition described
below. Upon completion of this building, the original 1906 elementary building was abandoned and scheduled
to be demolished. Before demolition occurred, the building was re-commissioned and the above referenced
1939 renovation occurred.
1952 Elementary Addition
Projecting from the rear of the 1906 building, the wing constructed by 1952 also served to connect the two
existing elementary buildings,which formed roughly an L-shaped facility. Typical of the period construction,
the new addition consisted of a two-story, brick-clad wing with a central hallway flanked by classrooms with
ribbons of aluminum clad three part windows with lower hoppers. Additional access to the building was
provided by an entry on the east elevation which is sheltered by a flat roof stoop, supported by canted brick
piers. The interior of this wing features painted concrete block and polished concrete floors with dropped
ceilings. The four classrooms provided by this addition are spacious and well lit with natural light provided by
the expansive windows. First floor space is partially below grade and includes classroom and storage space. In
addition to classrooms, this wing provided new restrooms, a shop class and administrative offices. This addition
links to several later one-story wings which project further north.(Photo 30,31,32)
Continued expansion
The next addition to the campus was constructed c. 1956-1957, placed to the north of the 1952 wing. This long
narrow addition typifies school construction of the period. One story, flat roofed concrete block construction
with brick cladding, this addition contains a polished concrete, wide central hallway flanked with eight
additional spacious elementary classrooms, well lit with banks of horizontally oriented windows atop a single
row of hopper windows that could be opened for ventilation. Still in use as elementary classrooms, this wing
retains a high degree of integrity and appears much as it did shortly after construction.
In 1969, four additional classrooms were added with the one story, brick clad kindergarten wing which was
placed to the north of the 1957-57 addition, along with a concrete block and metal-clad gymnasium, which
replaced the out-dated 1928-29 original gym. They are both still in use as originally intended.
The most recent addition which was completed in 1980, consisted of a multi-purpose room, which could be
used as cafeteria or auditorium, a kitchen and locker rooms. To that point, lunches were still served in the
basement of the 1906 elementary building, prepared in the kitchen added in 1939. Overcrowding resulted in the
lunch schedule beginning as early as 10:15 am and running to 1:30 pm. 5 The multi-purpose addition was
designed by architectural firm, Wachter, McClellan and Kreitler and the principle contractor was Kreidler
Construction Company out of Poland, Ohio. Since this building still functions as a school, spaces reflect their
original purpose, classrooms are intact, as are the central hallways, entrances and window configurations.
Alterations include the introduction of dropped ceilings and some window replacement. (Photo’s 27, 28, 29,
30)
The Chalker Building, Civil War Monument and 1907 original two story elementary building retain their
original symmetrical placement and relationship to each other. The addition of the 1928-1929 Tudor Revival
elementary building centered and to the back of the monument enhanced the original site. Subsequent additions
to the 1907 building were placed behind the two earlier buildings, maintaining the visual integrity of the site,
but providing much needed classroom space for a growing enrollment.
The Southington Board of Education entered into an agreement with the Ohio School Facilities Commission in
2005 to construct a new school facility. The new campus is currently under construction at a location
5 Construction Begins for new Southington multi-purpose room, Warren Tribune Chronicle, 13 August 1979. p. 3.
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