Smiley Junior High School
La Plata County
As Durango’s first educational facility dedicated solely to junior high classes, the building served as the city’s only junior high school from its construction in 1937 until a second junior high opened in 1961.
The Smiley Building.
Designed by prominent Colorado Springs architect Charles Thomas, this rare local example of the Mission Revival style was the community’s largest federally funded project during the Great Depression. The style is reflected in the brick building’s curvilinear parapets, arched entrance and niches, and decorative grilles.
For information about the State Historical Fund’s participation in the preservation of this property see the Project Snapshot.