Lavina School Historic District, Listed!

The development of an academic campus in Lavina is unequivocally linked to a significant population increase experienced by the community in the early 1900s. The main 1919 block of the school building illustrates educational construction in the first half of the 20th Century displaying a melding of Restrained Classicism and Stripped Collegiate Gothic, evoking the value of public education and a sense of permanence and confidence within the community.

The Lavina School Historic District includes the school itself, teacherage houses, athletic field, and associated K-12 academic campus, and well-represents the important role in the education of the youth of the rural community and surrounding area of Lavina. The Lavina School Historic District continues the mission of providing education to the community and the surrounding area.

Listed June 26, 2023

Lavina School Historic District

The Lavina School Historic District in Golden Valley County includes the 1919 K-through-12 school and campus, three staff residences, and an athletic field. The property retains its historic integrity and exemplifies its community’s century-plus commitment to educate its kids.

The 1919 school is built on the foundation of its predecessor that stood for four years before it burned. Although 1919 saw a decline in Lavina’s tax-paying population, and the fire insurance settlement proved insufficient, the community committed itself to financing construction.

The Lavina School’s Classicism and Collegiate Gothic style evokes permanence and the optimism those Lavinans had for their future. It turns out they were right. Over a century later, the Lavina School Historic District continues its education mission. 

Dr. Tim Urbaniak prepared this nomination.