Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-01-30
WIDOW OF FORMER GOVERNOR
PRESENTS BUILDING TO TOWN
OF cLERMoNr.
COST OF SCHOOL SAID TO
HAVE EXCEEDED $4,000
Model School Building, Planned and
Built by Governor and Mrs. Lara.
bee, Quietly Turned Over to School
District - Construction Unique in
Architecture in Iowa.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times-Repubiican.
Clernlont, Jan. 30.-The public school
building which the late Governor Lar
"a bee planned and which Mrs. Larrabee
day quietl. turned over 20 the school
district. Sc great a gift to the public
vas never transferred and dedicated SO
modestly and SO unostentatiously. The
whole proceeding was N accordance
with what his family believes would
have been the spirit and he wishes of
the dead benefactor. whose lifelong
motto was work and not words
This afternoon. upon invitation, the
members Of the women's aid society.
which includes about all the active
women of this town. met at the school
house, now completed, 10 inspect. as
they believed the building before its
opening. While they were there. mes
sengers were sent to the schools and
in response, the children With their
teachers came over in q Gody The
members Of the school board had
also been invited to come for an in
specton not knowing the purpose.
When they were all assembled in the
spacious auditorium. Mrs. Larrabee in
a very few words. in memory Of Gov
ernor Larrabee and in the name Of
herself and family. turned the whole
building over to the school authori-
ties and the school children, asking
them to accept it as a gift Of love
from one who had always loved the
school children Of Iowa and especially
those of Clernlont, and had in many
ways labored for their welfare. Mrs.
Larrabee then presented the deeds to
the president Of the school board
Model School Building.
The building. which was given to
the public in such an unostentatious
manner, is a model Of its kind, in every
way a model. 1t is both substantial
is no school building in the state that
is comparable with it.
The construction Of such a building
was for many years in the mind OF
Governor Larrapee. But he matured
his plans fully before entering on its
actuad work He visited school houses
ton with his travelling. He read ali
that was written on them by the best
authorities. Finally he gave his ideas
10 the architects, in rough outline, and
told them to draw plans. These plans
were subjected to the sevsrest scrutiny
and modified and changed until there
seemed to be no more loom for i'm
provement. A Characteristic act was
a Tar hes. 0.,I q G.
sured that his plans were adequate for
a strong structure, he ordered all the
materials Id It doubled in strength. The
result OF that decision is that the foun-
da tons and partition walls rest on
concrete footings five feet thick and
the foundation walls to the top of the
ground, both for the outer walls and
the partitions, are Of reinforced con-
crete thirty inches thick. All OF
the walls are thirty inches thick, all
the way up, with four air spaces in
them and the partition walls are Of
brick eighteen inches thick. Such con-
struction. SO massive and strong was
never undertaken in a building Of this
size and nature. 1t was intended 20
stand for all time. The architects were
astonished as such use OF materials
and the builders rnarveled all the time.
Donor Supervised Work.
The ground for the structure was
broken May, 1912, nearly two years ago.
It has been in building ever since, every
part Of the work being giveE adequate
time to set thoroughly. Nothing was
done in hurry. for everything had to
be done 50 we'll. Only the best is in
the building.
Shortly after the building was
started, Mr.. Larrabee himself was
taken i'll. but in spite of that illness
he carefully inspected every detail OF
the work. At the time OF his death,
the following autumn, the structure
was about half completed. Mrs. Lar
rabee than took upon herself the in
completed monument and has in every
detail carried out the work IN the
spirit Of it's designer. In Ciermont Mr..
Larrabee will never need another
monument. The school house will out
last granite and bronze. and during all
its years it will perpetua.e the mem
CRY of those who have passed away
and bless the lives Of those who are
coming after them.
The structure is eighty-three feet
eight inches long, by sixty-shree feet
eight inches wide. 1t is finished alike
on all sides and is presantable from
any point of view. No wood was used
in the construction, except IT. the out
side window frames, and a few floors
and few light finishings. There is
nothing to burn. AS high as the first
story windows the construction is OF
dolonai,e stone, a rich cream colored
stone from the Williams quarry near
.Clerment. The trimmings are of the
same stone. Red brick Of local manu-
facture were used above that, laid in
dark mortar. The cornices are of terra
Gotta Of rich design and the massive