| Maplewood School | |
| Location: | 434 Maplewood Ave., Bridgeport, Connecticut |
| Coordinates: | 41.1785°N -73.2095°W |
| Built: | 1893 |
| Architect: | Longstaff & Hurd
|
| Architecture: | Renaissance |
| Added: | February 21, 1990 |
| Refnum: | 90000153 |
The Maplewood School, also known as Grammar School No. 5, is a historic school building at 434 Maplewood Avenue in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was built in 1893, and was designed by Longstaff & Hurd. It was built as part of a major program to improve the city's schools and provide for a rapidly growing population. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
The former Maplewood School building is located in a residential area on Bridgeport's West Side, occupying part of a block between Linwood and Maplewood Avenues. It is a large two-story brick building, with a flat roof and modest Renaissance Revival styling. Second-story windows on its oldest portion have rounded tops, and the main entrance is set recessed within a rounded-arch opening. The original building had eight classrooms around a central hall, which was doubled with the first addition and doubled again with construction of the annex.[1]
The city of Bridgeport grew rapidly between 1880 and 1920, and undertook a massive building program to replace its aging one and two-room schoolhouses with modern schools. Built in 1892, Maplewood School replaced a one-room schoolhouse, and exemplifies thinking of the period for educational facilities, including graded classrooms, indoor plumbing, and heating. The building was designed by Longstaff & Hurd, a local architectural firm. As a result of overcrowding, in 1903 architect Henry A. Howe, Jr. designed additions, which were built onto both fronts of the school.[2] In 1908, the school was once again enlarged with an annex designed by Joseph W. Northrop.[3] The school was closed in 1980.[1]