Roosevelt School

Roosevelt school is located at 1026 North 10th Street. The postcard (dated 1909) above shows the original building. I am not sure of the construction date. Roosevelt was built as the seventh ward school and served as an elementary school. In a 1909 Fargo Forum article, they state that the school had eight teachers serving students in grade 1-8. The article also states that the two-story brick building was originally a four-room building but was increased to eight rooms in 1906. The school served the Seventh Ward. The original building was just to the north of the present Roosevelt building.

In 1952, the building was leased to the Government for use as an "Air Defense Filter Center" and its final use was as an education site for the developmentally disabled adults in the city. I have been told that it was demolished in the early 1970's. When Fargo built the new gym for the present Roosevelt school, they found the foundation of the old building.

The current building (adjacent to and south of the original building--shown below right) was built between 1919-1921 and occupied in February 1922. It served as a junior high school complete with an indoor swimming pool. The architect of the project was Joseph E. Rosatti. He also designed St Mary's Catholic school, and a few other buildings on the N.D.S.U. campus and Dickinson State University. The design is Collegiate Gothic. When Ben Franklin Junior High School opened in 1952 the current building was converted into an elementary school. The building on the right of the picture was addition to Roosevelt built in the 1970's. It was built on the site of the original Roosevelt school.

While a junior high school, Roosevelt published an "annual" for the 7-9 grades. It was called the Quentin and a copy of the 1932 issue can be seen at right. The junior high school had a basketball team that played four games in 1932. The highest scoring game was a loss to Agassiz, 22-21. The football team played seven games against Agassiz, Moorhead and two unknown team called the Mules and the Ponies.

I attended first grade at Roosevelt in about 1950. My grandparents lived across 11th Avenue from the school. Mrs. Olson was my first grade teacher. I guess you always remember your first teacher!

Thanks to Kim Colwell, Roosevelt Principal, for the history above.