The school — built around 1880 in Italianate-style architecture — was located at 157 McKinley Ave. (formerly Forest Street) and was most recognizable for its two, three-story towers on the northeast and northwest corners.

Several bricks from one of the towers fell Saturday morning. The area was cordoned to the public, and Vince DeJoy, city development director, and Lawrence Scalise, city building and zoning code enforcement officer, inspected the structure.

Despite recently selling through the county tax foreclosure process, the building was deemed unsafe and an emergency demolition was called.

“We were actually watching this property recently,” DeJoy said. “We felt that the structure was in danger of a complete and total collapse. There are a couple of properties that are close by, and we decided it was in the interest of public safety to order an emergency demolition.”

One of the iconic towers pictured after Saturday’s partial collapse. Photo by Vince DeJoy

By Saturday afternoon, the property was razed by crews from H H Rauh Paving Inc.

An article in the Nov. 15, 1878, edition of the Jamestown Daily Journal described the building as a “sightly one, commanding a charming view of the town in all directions. Here again taste has been displayed by the architect, though in a different form.”

Other unique characteristics included two front entrances that opened into a vestibule with accessible cloak rooms that led to the 40-by-30-foot school room.

The architect was L.P. Coates and was built with another school (No. 1) at a cost of $8,706, according to the Jamestown Daily Journal article.

School No. 5 served students living on the south side of the village. The Jamestown Public Schools District was later established after the city was incorporated in 1886.

The remnants of a former Jamestown school following an emergency demolition Saturday. A portion of the building's tower fell into the road, prompting concerns that a full collapse was possible. P-J photo by Eric Tichy

To accommodate a growing student population, an addition was built in the rear of the property around 1893. Students in grades one through six were served at the school.

According to city records and newspaper archives, students began attending a new school located at 30 Charles St.

Of the building, city records state: “The style belongs to the romantic and picturesque tradition of architecture of the 19th century. The towers make it a representative of the Italian villa type. The inspiration of this style was the rural architecture of northern Italy. … The school features the distinguishing characteristics of the style including towers, a low-pitched roof, overhanging eaves with decorative brackets, and tall, round-headed windows and doors with elaborate hoods.”

The property, in its later days, was home to the United Pentecostal Church.