Florence High School

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 25, 2025

1. Florence High School Marker

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From the National Register Nomination prepared by Ashley L. Bushey, 12/31/2021:
On September 8, 1919, the school board of Florence determined to present the taxpayers of the community a $100,000 bond issue for the construction of a new high school, anticipated to be “a modern school building, including a gymnasium.” In January 1920, the Florence School Board, School District No. 2, acquired two lots containing

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 25, 2025

2. Florence High School Marker

The marker is mounted at eye level on the right side of the east/front entrance. The marker is hidden from Maple Avenue by one of the massive Doric columns forming the portico.

a frame house from S.K. Huber for $2,300 and thirty lots from the Gumaer Estate company for the sum of $3,000; in combination, these lots formed the building site for the new Florence High School. Construction of the new high school building began later that year, contractor A.S. Hall & Son submitted orders for building materials in April 1920, and brickwork was well underway by September 1920. The building cost the community $150,000 to construct, and an additional $14,000 provided equipment for the physics, chemical, biological, and agricultural laboratories.

The building was constructed to accommodate approximately 200 students. The auditorium was constructed with a capacity of 840 seats including a 150-seat gallery. The stage included a curtain and scenery at a cost of $1,200. At the opposite side of the building, the gymnasium was constructed to be capable of seating 450 spectators with adjacent locker rooms with capacity for 200 students.

In the first year in the new building 1921-1922, courses offered included sciences, history, manual arts, English, household arts, mathematics, modern languages, music, Latin, and commerce. Interestingly for a secondary school, the faculty was predominantly female, with nine women teachers to three men.

The high school building was extensively remodeled on both the exterior and interior in 1978. A new high school was constructed in 2006, and the 1921 building continued to serve as the Fremont Middle School until 2019. In 2020, the campus was acquired by Historic Florence High School LLC for operation as Emergent Campus, which is envisioned as a “work, live, play” style business campus, with space for incubation, trainings, offices, events, and living quarters. For the near term, the campus will open with a pioneer group of local business tenants who share in the project goals. Emergent Campus is currently refitting former classrooms into office spaces occupied by a variety of tenants, including technology sectors and digital arts.

Florence High School is significant for its contribution to education in the City of Florence, and as a representation of an early-twentieth century high school that remained in service of its community for almost a full century — first as a high school and later as a junior high school. Secondary education had a rising prominence in American communities in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Investment in an expanded campus and large, architect-designed facilities demonstrate the emphasis communities placed on public buildings and the education of their children. Including an auditorium and gymnasium reflected an attitude of holistic education which included physical and cultural education in addition to intellectual pursuits. These facilities also reflect the function of the school as a community center in addition to an educational institution.

Florence High School is significant in architecture for its representation of the Classical Revival style. Classical Revival, also referred to as Neo-Classical Revival, architecture was a common choice for public and institutional buildings in the early twentieth century, inspired by the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair/Columbian Exhibition and the City Beautiful Movement. Typical characteristics of the style include colossal porticos, large columns, pilasters, pedimented windows, and domes. The buildings are generally masonry structures of monumental proportions, using terra cotta, brick, and stone materials. The Florence High School incorporates the hallmark features of the style including symmetry, masonry construction, full-height entry portico with pediment, columns, pilasters, terra cotta and stone detailing.

Florence High School also reflects significance in architecture through its representation of the work of the partnership of Mountjoy and Frewen. Mountjoy and Frewen had prolific careers in Colorado and Wyoming, including a number of public and institutional buildings, with emphasis on small city school commissions.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 25, 2025

3. Florence High School (main building block)

From the National Register Nomination:
The east side displays symmetry of form and architectural details typical of the Classical Revival style; the side is symmetrically divided into three components including a main building block flanked by protruding wings. The centrally positioned entrance on the east side of the building is approached by a wide concrete walk leading from the sidewalk to a set of concrete steps accessing a portico in front of the entrance.

The portico contains a classic, triangular, closed pediment over four, full-height, equally spaced, round, fluted Doric columns with simple, round capitals. The shafts of the columns are finished with concave terracotta tiles, creating the fluted appearance. The column capitals contain four terracotta roses, equally spaced around the capital. In the frieze between the pediment and the columns, “FLORENCE HIGH SCHOOL” is inscribed in limestone. The primary entrance contains paired modern doors with lever set door handles and long, rectangular single pane windows beneath an infilled transom.

Seven windows each in the upper and lower stories are located along the east side of the building on the main section to both the north and south of the porticoed entry. Windows are equally spaced, slightly recessed, and separated by brick mullions that extend from the raised foundation to the architrave course surrounding the building. All windows are replacement vinyl windows.

Excerpt:  Sports and extracurricular activities were a key component of student life and education at the Florence High School. Yearbooks between 1922 and 1979 record a range of options including Art Club, Boy’s Cooking Club, Latin Club, Basketball, Band, Cheerleading, Majorettes, Baseball, and Student Council.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner

4. Florence High School Auditorium (south wing)

From the National Register Nomination:
The south side of the building contains the auditorium wing, which faces east towards Maple Avenue. The auditorium entrance is centrally located on the east side of the wing, approached by a concrete walk leading from the sidewalk along Maple Avenue to a set of concrete steps accessing the entrance.

The entrance echoes the treatment of the primary entrance; the entrance contains a set of paired modern doors with lever set door handles and long, rectangular single pane windows beneath an infilled transom. The entrance is surrounded by limestone block with a limestone hood supported by curved, fluted brackets. In the frieze beneath the hood and above the door, the word “AUDITORIUM” is inscribed. Three rectangular, vertically oriented windows are located in the upper story above the entrance. The windows are replacements, with the upper transom area infilled. The entrance is flanked by four full-height brick pilasters, two on each side, running from the raised foundation to the architrave. Between the architrave and the entablature above the entrance and upper story windows, a limestone panel contains a decorative spiral pattern. The parapet above the entablature contains a limestone panel comprised of seven squares containing a star pattern. A single square panel containing a star pattern is located to the north and south of the central panel, separated by a space of plain brick.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 25, 2025

5. Florence High School Gymnasium (north wing)

From the National Register Nomination:
The north side of the building contains the gymnasium wing, which faces east towards Maple Avenue. The gymnasium entrance is centrally located on the east side of the wing, approached by a concrete walk leading from the sidewalk along Maple Avenue to a set of concrete steps accessing the entrance.

The entrance echoes the treatment of the primary entrance; the entrance contains a set of paired modern doors with lever set door handles and long, rectangular single pane windows beneath an infilled transom. The entrance is surrounded by limestone block with a limestone hood supported by curved, fluted brackets. In the frieze beneath the hood and above the door, the word “GYMNASIUM” is inscribed. Three rectangular, vertically oriented windows are located in the upper story above the entrance. The windows are replacements, with the upper transom area infilled. The outer windows are a single pane fixed window; the central window is wider than the outer two. The entrance is flanked by four full-height brick pilasters, two on each side, running from the raised foundation to the architrave. Between the architrave and the entablature above the entrance and upper story windows, a limestone panel contains a decorative spiral pattern. The parapet above the entablature contains a limestone panel comprised of seven squares containing a star pattern. A single square panel containing a star pattern is located to the north and south of the central panel, separated by a space of plain brick.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 25, 2025

6. Florence High School (northeast elevation)