The Holy Name Catholic School is a school and a historic school building located at 121 S. Connor Street in

Sheridan, Wyoming Sheridan is a city in the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Sheridan County, Wyoming, Sheridan County. The city is located halfway between Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone Park and Mount Rushmore by U.S. Route 14 in Wyoming, U.S. ...

. The school is one of the oldest Catholic schools in Wyoming, and its 1914 building is the oldest Catholic school building in the state. The original brick school building and a secondary annex building constructed in 1952 were listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2013. Includes 22 photos from 2012 The school was opened in 1914, despite not being quite finished, under direction of Father John Duffy, the pastor of the parish. He had "requested sisters from the

Sisters of Charity Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity in their name. Some ''Sisters of Charity'' communities refer to the Vincentian tradition alone, or in America to the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (whose sisters are also of ...

who lived at the Mother House in Leavenworth, Kansas. Three of the nuns rode the train from Kansas City; and after enduring the August heat arrived in Sheridan. As one of the sisters recalled, 'we opened in September, 1914, before the school was finished. The stairways were just boards lain across to make steps, but we opened at the appointed time.' There were four rooms used for classrooms of the eight grades and the fifth was used an apartment for the sisters. Everything stayed status quo throughout World War I, the Depression, and World War II for Holy Name Catholic School." According to its 2013 National Register nomination, the 1914 school building

is a two-story, brick school building, which exhibits stylistic elements of the Bungalow/Craftsman and Classical Revival styles. The eclectic nature of the building's architecture is typical of Wyoming town schools of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.... The school building follows the " Quincy Plan" in layout, with self-contained classrooms for each grade (or in this case shared grades), with a desk for the teacher and rows of desks for students. Built just before the start of the Progressive era in Wyoming education (1915-1930), Holy Name School can be compared with many of the second and third generation grade schools in Wyoming, which tended to be larger than the earlier schools, two stories in height and constructed of brick or stone with restrained elements of architectural style. / Since no particular architect has been identified with this school, it is likely that the school building committee drew upon the many
pattern books A pattern book, or architectural pattern book, is a book of architectural designs, usually providing enough for non-architects to build structures that are copies or significant derivatives of major architect-designed works. A number of pattern bo ...
that were available for all types of buildings during the late 19th and early 20th century, including homes, barns, churches, banks and libraries as well as schools. The building committee might also have drawn from the bulletins and circulars produced by the Wyoming Board of Education. Exterior features of schools of this period include brick or masonry construction with large double-hung windows with articulated
lintels A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented/structural item. In the case of ...
and sills. Elementary schools of this period were especially designed to be more "homelike" and comfortable for younger children, incorporating elements of the
Prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
and
Craftsman Craftsman may refer to: A profession *Artisan, a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative *Master craftsman, an artisan who has achieved such a standard that he may establish his own workshop and take o ...
styles. With its clipped side gables and bracketed eaves, Holy Name School fits into this category.

The 1952 annex provided a gymnasium and additional classrooms. It "was designed by Sheridan architect Harrison L. Cook in a modernist style in keeping with architectural trends of the period, and a marked departure from earlier schools. As noted in the MPDF, schools built during this period generally lack ornamentation or references to architectural styles of the past and tend to resemble commercial and industrial buildings of the period, rather than the previous generation of school buildings. They are horizontal in emphasis, with flat roofs, windows in sets or ribbons, generally faced in brick and stone or concrete. Interiors utilize new materials such as glazed tiles on the walls, linoleum-tile floors and acoustical tile ceilings." In 2013 the buildings were deemed significant for NRHP listing according to requirements established for the historic merit of urban schools in Wyoming as defined in a 2010 study, "Educational Facilities in Wyoming", conducted by the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office. In 2023 the school offers schooling from pre-kindergarten (for ages 3–5) and kindergarten up to the sixth grade.

References

{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne National Register of Historic Places in Sheridan County, Wyoming Catholic schools in Wyoming Sheridan, Wyoming Educational institutions established in 1914 1910s establishments in Wyoming Buildings and structures completed in 1914 Buildings and structures completed in 1953