About Clermont Public School
Historic Architecture, Architecture, Interesting Places, Other Buildings And Structures
Clermont Public School, also known as Larrabee School, is a historic building located in Clermont, Iowa, United States. The school was named for its patron, William Larrabee, who was the twelfth Governor of Iowa. Larrabee himself had been a teacher in Allamakee County, Iowa. During his time in the Iowa Senate and as governor he championed education reform. He used as one of his campaign slogans: "A schoolhouse on every hill and no saloons in the valley." Larrabee and his wife Anna studied school buildings for a number of years, and were involved in planning this building. They hired Cedar Rapids, Iowa architect Charles A. Dieman to design the structure. R.A. Wallace, a contractor from Cedar Rapids, was responsible for its construction. The building was over-engineered as Larrabee insisted that the strength of everything be doubled. The bricks were produced, and the limestone was quarried, locally. It is a two-story Neoclassical building that features a classical portico, brick pilasters with Doric capitals, and two arched dormers on the hipped roof.
