Maple Leaf School
555 Thornhill Avenue,
Morden

Designation Date: September 13, 1988
Designation Authority: The Town of Morden
Present Owner: Western School Division No. 47

Around the turn of the twentieth century, and for about twenty years thereafter, big schools in urban areas were typically impressive brick buildings, two or three storeys in height, heavy with exuberant Victorian decoration. However, concerns about evacuating children from these kinds of schools in fire emergencies eventually led to the creation of one-storey designs. Such projects were proven to be much safer. They were also deemed to be "friendlier" buildings, more in keeping with pedagogical theories of the day. Maple Leaf School, built in 1928, is an excellent example of that kind of design. Low, and thus scaled to the size of a child, the building is also attractive, with decorative brick bands and slight crenellations that give the building a playful countenance.