Contact: Kara O’Keeffe
Kara.okeeffe@wisconsinhistory.org
608-261-9596
West Bend, Wis. – The Wisconsin Historical Society has announced the listing of the Barton Elementary School in West Bend, Washington County, in the National Register of Historic Places. National Register designation provides access to certain benefits, including qualification for grants and for rehabilitation income tax credits, while it does not restrict private property owners in the use of their property.
The Barton Elementary School was constructed in 1924 with major additions in 1955, 1960, and 1969. The school served as the primary public elementary school for the small village of Barton, which was annexed by West Bend in 1961. The growth and continued expansion of the building between 1924 and 1969 exemplify the development and evolution of the school and its role in both Barton and West Bend. New schools constructed during the post-World War II period did not replace Barton School but augmented it. The continued expansion and modernization of this school was a critical strategy of the school board’s approach to serving the students of both Barton and West Bend. This building represents this long history of education in the Barton and West Bend communities.
The register is the official national list of historic properties in America deemed worthy of preservation and is maintained by the National Park Service in the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Wisconsin Historical Society administers the program within Wisconsin. It includes sites, buildings, structures, objects and districts that are significant in national, state or local history, architecture, archaeology, engineering or culture.
To learn more about the State and National Register programs in Wisconsin, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org.
