Where North 7th meets Monroe Street in downtown Phoenix, the Monroe School fills the corner at 215 North 7th Street. This three-story brick building was designed in 1913 by Los Angeles architect Norman Foote Marsh in the Neoclassical, or Classical Revival, style and opened in 1914. When it opened, it was the largest elementary school west of the Mississippi River.
From 1914 to 1972 the building served first as an elementary school and then as a high school, educating thousands of children through generations. The urban-renewal projects of the 1960s helped reshape the neighborhood and led to a drop in enrollment, and the site later changed uses, becoming a Department of Defense recruiting center until 1988. Recognized for its history, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Since 2008 this landmark has been home to the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, giving it a new life focused on families and play. Notice the classical brick façade and the layered history written into its cornices and windows, the building anchoring this corner of North 7th and Monroe in the urban fabric of downtown.