Madison Avenue Apartments - 811 15TH ST

 Print Listing Historical Name - Greeley Junior High School
Style - Modern Movements/Art Deco
Built Year - 1938
State ID - 5WL2572

Description - This Art Deco school building (now apartments) is a rectilinear, three-storey, blonde brick structure with a flat roof. Roof features include a flush terra cotta cornice with tooth-like decorations above each vertical bay. It has a concrete foundation, brick exterior walls, and terra cotta trim. The main facade is broken into nine slightly recessed vertical bays and contains a central entrance which projects above the roof-line. The stepped entrance features terra cotta crown molding and the use of recesses to emphasize its verticality. Windows are paired aluminum one-over-one double-hung with terra cotta sills. The upper third of each window is blocked or covered with concrete stucco where the aluminum windows do not fill the vertical space of the original fenestration. An “icon” element characteristic of the Art Deco style is the use of a low-relief, terra cotta lintel-course located above the third-storey windows. The design of this belt is reminiscent of Aztec designs.

Historical Background - The Greeley Junior High School was built in 1938 as a Public Works Administration project. Designed by well-known Colorado architect Sidney Frazier, the structure was once part of the Meeker Junior High School complex. The complex also included the Meeker Junior High, which served as a high school until the construction of a new high school in 1927 (also designed by Sidney Frazier), and a gymnasium fronting 8th Avenue. Unfortunately, the Neoclassical Meeker Junior High and gymnasium were razed after the school district sold them in 1968. The Greeley Junior High School served its original function until 1965, when it was first used as administrative offices. Architect Sidney Frazier designed (or helped design) many public buildings in Greeley and the surrounding area. Extant buildings include the State Capitol Annex Building in Denver, the Veterinary Hospital at Colorado State University, and the Weld County Hospital in Greeley. However, he was most known for school buildings, designing 45 during his career.