BONITA SPRINGS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

This school contains two historic building and is a rare example of a historical school that continues to serve its original function. The rural village of Bonita Springs, originally called Survey, grew during the Florida Land Boom of the 1920s and this brick structure replaced the previous one-room schoolhouses. The original three-room school was built in 1921 and the first principal was Miss Alma McDonald. A local contractor utilized local oak and cypress lumber to complete the masonry vernacular structure. The school expanded in 1927 by adding a two-story building with auditorium. The addition features the Mediterranean Revival architectural style common from 1915-1930, and is a combination of Spanish, Italian, Moorish and Byzantine influences. In the early 1940s the two buildings were united and a cafeteria was an integral part of the community for generations. The school was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, the first property in Bonita Springs to be so listed.