Harding School

(1926-1959)

The 1920s was a boom time for the construction of several Kalamazoo Public Schools buildings, and like others built around this time period, the downtown-located Harding School was named for a U.S. president. Unlike those other schools, which are clearly visible, the Harding School disappears within a cluster of Bronson Hospital-operated buildings along Jasper and Lovell Streets.

1923-1959

In 1923, local voters approved the purchase of land next to the Lovell Street School (Yes-376, No-226). Plans were drawn up to situate the new school just south of the older building, along 421 Pine Street, facing west. A year later, the local firm Billingham and Cobb were hired to prepare the architectural plans for the three-story building. The contractor firm of A.J. DeKoning was brought in to conduct the construction, which was completed in the Spring of 1926.

At the time of its opening, the ‘L’ shaped school was outfitted with twelve classrooms, an auditorium, and a gymnasium. The rectangular, brick building possessed Art Deco embellishments around the roof and entranceway. Once the new school was built, the nearby Lovell Street school was shuddered as a school, and converted into the offices of the KPS Administration.

School Principals:

Mabel S. Read (1926-1936)

H. Earle Correvont (1936-1938)

Bethel Honeysette (1938-1959)

Harding School Expansion

In 1959 Bronson purchased the Harding School properties for $900,000, planning to use them in an expansion program. In March 1960 the hospital announced they would demolish the school administration building and build a 177-space parking lot. Plans to build a tunnel connecting the first floor of the hospital to that of the school building were also revealed. The school building’s first floor would then be developed into a large outpatient clinic and a new medical library for the School of Nursing and the medical staff. Over the course of the next two years, Bronson spent $471,000 remodeling the old school before opening the outpatient clinics that focused on orthopedics, obstetrics, emergency room follow-up, cerebral palsy, expectant parents classes, and others.

Article written by Ryan Gage, with assistance from research conducted by Lynn Houghton in 2003