The Larimer School was built in 1896 – named for William Larimer Jr., who opened the first Conestoga wagon business in the Pittsburgh area. Larimer is also credited as being the founder of Denver, Colorado and Larimer City, Nebraska. He lived quite a busy life of travel.

The building was designed by Ulysses J. Lincoln Peoples, with the construction totaling a cost of $80,000 – equal to about $2.5 million today. The original structure was two stories, constructed in the Richardson Romanesque architectural style, popular in the late 1800s and very early 1900s. It features an intricately designed double-door entry, complimented by a rounded stone arch facing Larimer Avenue. In addition, the structure features a triple-arched entry along Winslow Avenue. The ornate exterior architecture is complimented by the interior, which features terrazzo floors and Tennessee marble wainscoting on its walls.

Shortly after its construction, it was deemed that the school was not large enough as an increasing need for space arose. An addition was added in 1905, also designed by Peoples. This addition was built at a cost of $100,000, and included a connector with a 125-foot-high campanile with a school bell placed at the top. Also built as part of this expansion was a terra-cotta surround entry with figures in the relief, and a 12 by 16 foot, six-paneled stained glass window, crafted by the Rudy Brothers Glass Studio in East Liberty, depicting a scene of Romans wearing togas. The window was installed on a second-floor balcony. After some inspections, the school board noted that the addition was not built in accordance with the original plans and specifications, and refused to accept the building from contractors until an additional $10,000 in alterations were completed. These alterations were to be done at the construction company’s expense.

On February 18, 1930 the school board approved a $121,500 contract to construct the auditorium and two gymnasiums. The architect chosen for these 3 additions was George M. Rowland. The addition was completed in the fall of 1931, and was constructed in Art Deco style. The 400-seat auditorium featured black marble wainscoting and an aluminum acoustical tile ceiling. In December of 1936, building superintendent C.L. Wooldridge talked to the school board, and had requested funds to install concrete floors in the campanile. This request was due to the tower’s original wooden structure becoming structurally unsound. The tower also required yearly maintenance of $600 to have the brock tower repointed, and the decision was later made to remove the campanile completely in 1958.

By 1980, enrollment to the Larimer School had declined greatly. Government funding had also been cut shorter and shorter in years leading up to this time. With both of the factors playing a major part in the continued operations of the school, doors were closed for good in June 1980. The stained glass windows were removed and sold for $12,000. The city then opened bids for the sale of the school in February 1982, but saw no takers. The decision was then made to hold a public auction of the building and its contents in December of 1982.

Ann Swartz, a former teacher at Larimer, purchased the school with plans to repurpose the building for use as a community center combined with senior housing.  Unfortunately, she was unable to raise enough money to fund the project, and plans fell through. Swartz died in 1996. Following her death, another plan was brought to the table by Ora Lee Carroll of East Liberty Concerned Citizens. She had hoped to turn the school into a senior living facility with offices for support services. Unfortunately, the proposed $8 million idea also was never brought to reality.

The building was purchased in November 2001 from the estate of Ann Swartz. A Second Chance, Inc., a foster care agency had plans to relocate its operations and 125 employees from East Liberty into the former school building. They purchased the building for $50,000, with a $6 million proposed plan, which received the backing of East Liberty Development Corporation and the East Liberty Concerned Citizens Corporation. The company had hired an architect, beginning repairs on parts of the roof, but no further work was done on any other part of the building due to funds running short.

The school was then sold to Emmett Miles of Fishers of Men and Keith B. Key in 2015. Miles, like the others, had plans for a senior center. He had planned on turning the school into 36 senior housing units and community service space. Development plans had now risen to $14 million this time around, and the company sought $1 million of that in low-income tax credits and state historic tax credits to help move the project along. KBK Enterprises is the developer for the project. They had completed a two-phase environmental assessment on the buildings in mid-2015, but since then the project has sat quietly awaiting proper funding.

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