School History

Bryant Elementary School

Originally known as the South Dodge Street School. The wooden structure built in 1869 along (Wilde) Mt. Loretta and (South Dodge), Bryant was renamed on December 23, 1889.

A petition to build a new Bryant School was filed on October 6, 1916. Another, filed with the board on February 6, 1918, was rejected as being inadequate and not in legal form. Bryant was finally chosen for replacement in 1938. It was then the oldest school in the district. The modern Bryant School was accepted by the board on February 23, 1940. It opened for classes on April 9, 1940.

Bryant Elementary School is a part of the Dubuque Community School District in Dubuque, Iowa. It is one of 13 elementary schools in the district and is located at 1280 Rush Street, Since first built the building has gone through several renovations. The last major renovation was the summer of 2015. It consisted of the replacement and renovation of windows and doors to return them to their appropriate historic style. In addition, the project included new historical exterior lighting at the school. This was funded through a generous donation from John and Alice Butler.

Bryant Elementary School is named after William Cullen Bryant. William was born in Massachusetts in 1794. He was an American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor of the New York Evening Post. He died in 1878.

 

Resources:

Randolph W. Lyon. “Bryant Elementary School.” Encyclopedia Dubuque. June 26, 2010. Carnegie-Stout Library Foundation. Accessed on August 12, 2015 at <http://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=Bryant Elementary School>.

Wikipedia contributors. “William Cullen Bryant.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 5 Aug. 2015. Web. 12 Aug. 2015.