Ellwanger & Barry Condominium Description

CONDOMINIUM DESCRIPTION

	LOCATION: The Ellwanger & Barry Condominium is located in the southeast section of the City of Rochester, NY. The property is bordered by Linden Street to the north, Meigs Street to the west and Crawford Street to the south. It is 4 blocks south and one block west of I-490, Exit 17 at Goodman St. It is just minutes to downtown Rochester and just 3 blocks away from the beautiful and famous Highland Park, home of the annual Lilac Festival. Click on the aerial photo to view an enlargement of the neighborhood. Aerial View courtesy of New York State GIS website.
ARCHITECTURE: Designed by Edwin S. Gordon in 1913 in the Mission Revival style of the late Arts and Crafts period of architecture, School 24 was considered ahead of its time due to many of its unique features. Derived from the basic "safety-first" concept, each classroom had its own access door leading directly to the outside of the building. The exterior design follows Mission or Spanish Colonial Revival style, with red Spanish barrel-tile hipped roof with a wide overhang, supported by large wooden brackets. The exterior walls were cream-colored stucco with red brick pilasters that project slightly and Mission style beams. These features were scrupulously preserved throughout the conversion and continue to be maintained by the Condominium's current occupants.
	The school's interior plan has frequently been compared to a Roman house with enclosed atrium, inasmuch as the core of the building contained a gable-roofed auditorium/gymnasium, having clerestory windows on the north and south ends, rising well above the roof level of the surrounding building area. Formerly, the main entrance (off Meigs Street) led to a terrazzo- tile hallway that totally encircled the core of the building and off of which led most classrooms and activity rooms. In converting each classroom to a condo unit, the hallway spaces became their kitchens and bathrooms, though installation of the utility lines meant replacing the terrazzo. (Ed: The "bad bench" that was in the hallway outside the former Library has had its numerous coats of old paint and wads of chewing gum removed, and now resides in that unit's kitchen.)
THE TRANSITION: Developer, Lowell Colvin's plan adapted each of the classrooms on the north (Linden Street) and south (Crawford Street) bays of the building to nearly uniform individual condo units, while the former Administrative offices, the Library and the Kindergarten made up into larger, more individual spaces. Former locations of workshops, teacher's rooms and multipurpose activity rooms became condo units with very distinctive floor plans and numerous interior skylights.
The school's classrooms were infused with light, owing to the numerous skylights, which led to the other name by which the school was known: the "Sunshine School." Today's condominium residents enjoy the copious light admitted by modern skylights that line the northern exposures of the two east-west bays and others that still remain on the roof. Fronting on the Meigs street (west) elevation, six Palladian arched windows are prominent in the school's façade, three each in the former Administrative office area and the former Library. While some new windows were required in the conversion of the school, the original large-scale classroom windows remain mostly intact, and are fitted with new screens and storm windows.
	The original 12-ft high ceilings in the former classrooms had rectangular panels, each with six frosted glass lights, to admit more light from the skylights. These were removed in the conversion, so that the classroom units now boast 22-ft high cathedral ceilings with exposed wood beam roof trusses. Each such unit is thus provided with an "upstairs" loft, accessible by a newly constructed stairway. One glass ceiling remains intact, complete with an operable panel that provided access to the wood truss roof and skylight structure.
The gymnasium/auditorium retains the original auditorium accoutrements, such as a stage, footlights, curtain, movie screen and dressing areas, while the gymnasium has seen installation of modern basketball goals. The space is now used periodically for unit owners' social get-togethers and meetings.
	Prominent, though no longer in use within and outside the building proper are details such as the massive brick chimney rising skyward who-knows how many feet out of the middle of the building. A study of the brickwork design alone could stimulate endless research. The gigantic cast-iron boiler itself is a study in long-forgotten craftsmanship. Space within the boiler room proper and basement hallways have been sectioned off partially to provide storage lockers. But the wrought-iron stairway to the old superintendent's office remains, as does an embossed tin ceiling in the hall leading to the boiler room.
While old photographs of the school-building grounds do not show much in the way of landscaping--sadly, for a legacy of renowned horticulturists, Ellwanger and Barry--the conversion to condominiums saw the planting of numerous trees and bushes. Also, each unit was planned with a small restricted-common element that owners have landscaped, and/or paved or decked. Rustic fences set off the spaces for privacy. Fortuitously, space was provided in 1913 for what must have then been rare animals: motor cars. So parking space is ample for unit owners and guests in a fenced lot on the east end of the building, and in a turn-around to the north (Linden Street) side.
	Lastly, a great flag pole stands on the northeastern (Meigs and Linden) corner of the block. Attempts to mount a proper flag a few years back proved discouraging to maintain, but with the assistance of the Quint & Midi 3 Company of the Rochester Fire Dept, new hardware was installed and a new flag was dedicated on 9/11/02. View the photo album from the event.

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