Description of Historic Place

Wood Mountain School is a Municipal Heritage Property located in the Village of Wood Mountain. The property consists of three, one-room, wood-frame schoolhouses attached to a two-room, wood-frame schoolhouse that was built in 1929. Included in the assemblage is a brick extension added in 1959 and a gymnasium dating from 1976. A large school yard with mature plantings contributes to the property.

Heritage Value

The Wood Mountain School is valued due to its status as the community’s public school from 1929 to 1994. Known as Ambassador School until 1968, the original two-room portion of the property was built in 1929 and was the first permanent schoolhouse in the Village of Wood Mountain. With the consolidation of school districts in the 1940s and 1950s, Wood Mountain School became a centralized facility attracting children from eight former school districts. For 65 years the school was a focal point in the village, being the place of education for over 800 students as well as the location of their sporting events, concerts, and fairs.

The heritage value of Wood Mountain School also lies in its form, an uncommon composition of four, early-twentieth century, wood-frame schoolhouses. This pragmatic arrangement includes the original Ambassador School, which was built on site in 1929, as well as three other one-room, wood-frame schoolhouses. To accommodate additional students because of school district consolidation, the former Stefan School was brought to the property in 1953 and was joined to the original building in 1959 by a brick extension. In 1957 the former Goose Creek School and the former Turnbridge Wells School were also moved to the site and attached to the complex. As individual structures, each schoolhouse is typical of those constructed in rural school districts at the time, but constitute an unusual structure when viewed collectively, as they are now assembled. The original 1929 structure is the most substantial wood-frame portion of the school. It contains a large foyer with open, dual stairways ascending to the two classrooms, plus a full basement originally divided in half with two lavatories on each side for boys and girls. This original portion of the school was supplied as a prefabricated package by the Waterman-Waterbury Company, which specialized in prefabricated schools.

There is also heritage value in the context of the Wood Mountain School. The large school-yard, which accommodated playground equipment, baseball diamonds and track and field facilities, recalls the recreational activities enjoyed by students of Wood Mountain School. Mature trees and shrubs dot the grounds and reflect yearly Arbour Day planting efforts by students.

Source:

Village of Wood Mountain Bylaw # 1/96.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage Value of the Wood Mountain School resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements which relate to the architecture of its exterior, including its compound form comprised of four, one-storey, wood-frame schoolhouses with wood-shingled hipped roofs, wooden beveled and drop siding and window walls (multiple part window assemblies);
-those elements which relate to the architecture of its interior, including the one-room plan of the three non-original structures and the two-room plan of the original schoolhouse with its lower level foyer containing open, dual stairways with balustrades of squared balusters and newels;
-those elements which relate to the building’s use as a school, including the blackboards, the large school yard and the yard’s mature tree and shrubs.