Lawton School

This is Lawton Alternative Elementary School, located on 31st Ave at (surprise!) Lawton.


There are photos in the SFPL Historic Photo collection. I couldn't find exactly when the school was built, but it was in or just before 1937, judging by the captions on the photos.

The most interesting part is the entrance. There is tile on the walls and ceiling.


Interesting windows.
Years and years of patina on the doors.


This is looking to the right of the entrance.


There is an abundance of glass block.


According to the photos, there was an addition built in 1950.

Francis Scott Key Annex

This school is located at 1351 42nd Avenue. It is now The Principal Center Collaborative Campus, providing services to youth in the juvenile justice system.


The old front door is behind these "temporary" buildings. That one is labeled "main office".

According to the "Architectural and Historical Resources of the Sunset District:
The Oceanside Neighborhood" published by SPEAK and available in web from at the Western Neighborhoods Project, this was the Francis Scott Key Annex, built in the late 19- teens or 20's, with 12" redwood planks on the upper floor. (Here is the current Francis Scott Key Elementary).

You can imagine it was quite lovely.


Here's a photo from the S.F.P.L. Collection, and the same view today:

Francis Scott Key Elementary

I just love this school. The details, the shape, the color. It was built in 1936.
I have no training in architecture, I'm just posting things I like (or not).

My first reaction was that the school is Art Deco.

The front:

Close-up of the pegasus:





But as I read about architectural periods, the curved corners seem to be Art Moderne.



The openwork elements appear all around the building.



I like the contrast of these tall straight elements...


with the rounded ones:


There are quite a few old photos in the Library's collection.