Lunenburg Academy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lunenburg Academy |
|
|---|---|
| Académie de Lunenburg, Lunenburg Elementary School | |
The academy in 2008
|
|
| Location | 101 Kaulback Street, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia |
| Built | 1894–1895 |
| Architect | Harry H. Mott |
| Architectural style(s) | Second Empire architecture |
| Designated | 1983 |
The Lunenburg Academy is a special historic school building in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. It was built in 1895 after the old school burned down. This building was used as a school from 1895 until 2012.
In 1983, it was named a National Historic Site. This was because of its unique Second Empire style. It also showed how education worked in Nova Scotia in the 1800s. Today, the building holds a library and a music school. Work is still being done to fix up and restore parts of it.
Contents
History of Lunenburg Academy
After the first school building was destroyed by fire in 1893, the town of Lunenburg wanted a new one. They wanted a building that would be "an ornament to the town." The old school could only hold 200 students. The new building was planned to be much bigger.
Building the Lunenburg Academy started in the fall of 1894. Architect Harry H. Mott led the project. It was finished in 1895. The school opened on November 7, 1895. More than 650 students came to learn there.
The Academy taught both elementary and high school students. This continued until 1966. After that, it became only an elementary school. It kept operating as a school until March 2012. At that time, the town took over the building.
The Lunenburg Academy became a National Historic Site in 1983. This recognized its important architecture. It also showed its role in the 19th-century school system.
A big restoration project is happening now. The goal is to turn the building into a place for many uses. It will have community spaces and offices. The Lunenburg Library opened there in 2018. The Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance is also located there. Some old classrooms are now rented out to businesses and groups.
Architecture of the Academy
.jpg)
The Lunenburg Academy is a large, three-story wooden building. It sits on a 3.7-acre lot on Gallows Hill. This spot is near the Old Town Lunenburg Historic District. Because it's so big and on a hill, you can see it from far away.
Exterior Design
The building has a base made of granite blocks and brick. It is designed in the Second Empire style. This style often includes a special roof called a mansard roof. The Academy also has a large chimney in the middle. It features unique windows called Oriel and Venetian windows. Its towers have pointed, pyramid-shaped roofs. A large school bell is inside the central tower.
The outside of the building was first yellow and brown. After World War II, it was painted white, red, and black. It has decorative horizontal lines called belt coursing. There are also fancy brackets and triangle shapes called pediments above windows and doors. The famous writer Margaret Atwood once called it "an extraordinary mansard-roofed construction... a sort of Charles Addams nightmare, only white."
Inside the Academy
The building is about 18,000 square feet inside. Much of the interior still looks like it did when it was first built. The original plans included a heating system in the basement. It had six air furnaces. The upper floors had classrooms of similar sizes. They were arranged to get the most natural light.
The building had two main entrances for boys and other entrances for girls. There were separate staircases for each gender. There was no main lobby. This was to keep male and female students from mixing outside of classrooms.
The original furnace system was changed to radiators in the 1950s. In the 1980s, the third floor was closed for safety. It reopened after repairs between 1998 and 2000. Bathrooms and kitchens have been added on each floor. Fire doors and glass panels were put in the stairwells. However, the old wooden stairs and railings are still there. Many original door handles and decorations like wooden wainscoting remain. Some of the first light fixtures are also still in place.
Images for kids
-
The old academy, which was destroyed in 1893
