Campus

Lake Middle School is located at West 18th Avenue and Lowell Boulevard. The site includes three and one-half blocks, extending from Julian Street to the park, and from West 18th Avenue to West 19th Avenue. To the west, the grounds slope toward Sloan`s and Cooper`s Lakes. East of the building, one and one -half blocks are set aside for extensive playground for various outdoor activities.

Description

The school is red brick with one major tower at its entrance and two smaller towers flanking its wings. It is an `L` shaped building, with a basement, two complete floors, and a half - third floor.

The building features two gyms, a library and a large auditorium with a balcony. Only nine of 39 classrooms do not have a view of the lake and mountains. Those nine have an unobstructed view of the downtown cityscape.

The lunchroom overlooks Sloan`s Lake with extensive views of the Front Range.There have not been any major alterations to the exterior of the structure, until 2003 with the new Technology wing.

Lake`s exterior landscaping is significant due to its crannied wall on the west side of the building. This wall runs approximately three hundred feet in length and varies from three to five feet in height.The wall is made with oblong red sand stones that stay together with no cement. Also, more than sixty different plant varieties have been panted into the wall`s crannies by former students. In total, one hundred and seventy-five different varieties of trees, shrubs,and flower have been planted. A complete listing of these shrubs and trees maybe found in Art Out of Doors.

The interior of the school features carved doors and wood paneling, with orname00ntal light fixtures in the style of the English Tudor architecture. The library boast its original six craned brass light fixtures in the shape of Viking long ships. A mold from an English castle was used to shape the library ceiling, once believed to have been painted with gold leaf. The library has beautiful wood paneling and arches with the school emblem over the library door. There is a massive wooden book case. The school cafeteria has wood trimmed groin-vault ceilings supported by brick lonic columns. There are brick-trimmed arched windows, with brick kick plates. The auditorium reproduces the architectural style typically found in English council halls dating from Middle Ages.

It has an arched passageway down both sides of the room with lonic columns and molded plaster ceiling. There are polychromatic stenciling beams across the ceiling of the auditorium with ornate ceiling fixtures of metal and glass. The foyer is marble with groin-vault ceilings, also. Each school is significant to its community, and Lake Middle School is certainly no exception. This school was one of seventeen Denver Schools built or rebuilt during the city beautiful movement under Mayor Speer`s visionary direction.

The school incorporates art in the community, With it`s sheer beauty and commanding setting overlooking Sloan`s Lake. The window and terraces have an unbroken view of the Rocky Mountains. In 1926, when the school was built, the area was still undeveloped. City planers realized that the lake and park, along with the school, Would serve as an incentive to attract beautiful homes. As quoted in the The Relation of Schools to the Denver City Plan , "The location of Lake Junior High School is outstanding in America. The school satisfies historical and architectural significance criteria in several ways."