History

The Little Red School House

Old Fairview - red brick building

Built in 1903; residents were mostly comprised of Orthodox Jews who had settled in as early as 1859. They lived with the hope of seeing their dreams fulfilled in the lives of their children. The families were poor, experienced great hardships and difficulty to learn English.

History of the school’s name – unknown. Students once attended Eagleton Elementary and Cheltenham Elementary and Fairview Elementary was the overflow school. At the time, 60 children enrolled at Fairview in grades 1-3. By 1915, six classrooms were filled to capacity.

 

Picture1

In the Spring of 1924, the present day Fairview Elementary was completed. The red school house remained for 20 years (somewhat used)

Picture2

The current home of the school was built in three stages. The main building was built fronting 11th Ave in 1924, then the east and west wings were added and most recently the lunchroom addition was constructed on the north side of the building (Elise Brenninkmeyer, 2005)