Moment in Time (July 15, 2021)

The Kindergarten Annex was built in 1949 to accommodate the new kindergarten program that was implemented for the school district that year. The building will be torn down as part of the district’s school campus project.

In 1949 the Grandview Heights School District decided to include kindergarten services as part of the public schools program, and a revolutionary building was constructed on the site of the old Harding School across Fairview from the Edison building. The Harding School was built in 1895 and was the first building in the district. It served as the high school before it was razed in 1933.

The new building opened February 6, 1950 with significant media attention from the Columbus and Ohio press. Called the Kindergarten Annex, it was an award-winning design that incorporated furniture and facilities that were built to the needs of the kindergarten student. Door handles were lower, furniture was smaller (top left), lockers were kid-sized, etc. It also had a fully equipped kitchen (top right), which was used for both lunches and morning snacks, a small stage (top center), and everything was done in "cheerful" colors and styles that were attractive to kids of this age. A large fireplace was located in the hall at the main entrance, which provided a pleasant atmosphere for the 100 students that attended the half-day sessions taught by Mrs. Bloom and Mrs. Castaneda ((visible in above photos) .

In 1971, classrooms were added at Stevenson School to accommodate additional kindergarten classes for families on the east side of the district. In 1995, Fairview Avenue was closed to traffic and a playground was added in front of the kindergarten building. Under a proposed plan the street will be reopened when the construction projects are completed and the annex is torn down. The playground will be moved to the west side of the main entrance to the new 4-8 building at that time.