William B. Ittner and Henry C. Mercer

The Architecture and Art of the Erie Public Schools, 1915-1920

Abstract

Erie pupils leaning to drink at water fountains in their schools see ceramic plaques depicting Saint George slaying a dragon, bannered sailing ships, landscapes with billowing clouds, and scenes from the life of President Theodore Roosevelt. Outside they may see on the walls of their school buildings ceramic murals depicting such subjects as a woman at a spinning wheel and Columbus departing on his voyage of discovery. The historical significance of these tile decorations, and of the buildings of which they are a part, is much greater than has been realized either by the pupils or their elders. They represent some of the most interesting work of two key figures in American architecture and ceramic art of the early twentieth-century.