Lakeview School

This article is about the former Birmingham school. For the private school, see Lakeview Day School, for the Tuscaloosa County school, see Lake View Elementary School.

Lakeview School is a former Birmingham City School located at 2801 Clairmont Avenue. It was planned as early as 1890, but had to be postposed due to the economic fallout from the Panic of 1893. The original red brick building, designed by Wheelock, Joy and Wheelock architects, was completed in 1901 and opened to students in grades 1-4 on January 17, 1902. Twelve additional classrooms, for grades 5-7, were completed in 1909.

A playground, later named Underwood Park for Oscar Underwood, was constructed across 28th Street. The park was later moved to allow for expansion of St Vincent's Hospital.

Artists Frank and Martha Anderson were commissioned through the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration to produce a mural of scenes of discovery for the Lakeview School.

A modern addition of six large classrooms connected by an open-air passageway was completed in 1958. Warren, Knight & Davis designed the brick addition, which was built by the Perusini Construction Company for $107,000 from the 1953 Birmingham school bond issue.

In 1976 Lakeview School was made over as an alternative school offering an "Arts-in-Education" curriculum. Branko Medenica's 15-foot-tall sculpture, "Resurgence" was installed to mark the occasion.

The school building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 17, 1977. The school soon closed, and was sold in 1981. The pedestrian tunnel to Underwood Park under 28th Street South was filled and sealed off.

The building currently houses offices for Leo Ticheli Productions, Boyd Fernambucq & Vincent and others.

Principals

• Nannie Davis, 1901-1909
• Edward Brown, 1910-1912
• Chester Bandman
• Hamilton Jackson
• Frank Ordway
• W. I. Pittman
• Conway Smith
• J. Clyde Orr, 1921-1936
• J. R. Gardner Jr, c. 1940
• Osborne A. Farr, 1946-1953
• J. Clyde Orr (second term), 1953-1955

References

• "Complete by Spring-Lakeview to have modern addition" (August 22, 1957) The Birmingham News - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
• "Lakeview School" typescript history (c. 1958) Birmingham Board of Education, Research Department, microfilm at Birmingham Public Library Archives, AR454
• Satterfield, Carolyn Green (1976) Historic Sites of Jefferson County, Alabama. Birmingham: Jefferson County Historical Commission/Gray Printing Company
• Rocker, Maggie & Sammie Auer (February 19, 2016) "Time capsule mystery from 1976 cracked in AL.com Vintage photos." The Birmingham News