The History of
Denver Public Schools
District No. 17
On the other side of the South Platte River (northwest end), a new school district was formed from Districts 1 and 2. The North Denver District (District No. 17) was organized on March 28, 1872, which included land northwest of the river in the town of Highlands.
The school board immediately built a small wooden structure in 1872 on the corner of 15th and Central Streets. However, the ever present problem of population growth called for a larger school facility, and in 1874, the district constructed a brick building at 29th and Firth Court which was named Ashland School. The small wooden building was then discontinued as a school.
District No. 17 fared much better than the other two districts, but there was always the shortage of tax dollars required to build needed schools or expand and improve teaching methods. Nevertheless, the district did build schools for the growing student population. Ashland school soon outgrew its space and a larger brick building ws completed in 1882. Bryant School, with the use of temporary buildings, was established at that time. More buildings were added to Bryant School in 1883, but the continuous student growth necessitated the building of Boulevard school and a very small Grand View School that same year.
Ashland continued to be the largest school building in the district, but for the third time in thirteen years a relatively new school was torn down and rebuilt on the same site. Several temporary buildings were erected in 1888 to accommodate the students while the new Ashland was being constructed.
Even though there had been a concentrated building program, more space was required in 1899 and the district rented space in Highlands Town Hall, which was called Boulevard Annex School. The Superintendents for the district were H.F. Wegener (1876-1879), F.F. Smeigh (1879-1882), A.F. Allen (1882-1884), A.C. Courtney (1884-1885), Frank Mathews (1885-1886), Charles V. Parks (1886-1891), J.H. Van Sickle (1891-1900), and Charles E. Chadsey (1900-1902).
