The Design

Welcome to Minerva France Elementary. The school’s namesake is a Westerville native who was among the first Black women to receive a library science degree. We’ll dive into her history later on in the tour. First, here are some details about the building and how it pays tribute to the history of Minerva Park.

• The school sits on the former Minerva Park Golf Course, but much of its architecture is inspired by the Minerva Amusement Park. We also wanted the building to fit into the Minerva Park neighborhood, so we took design inspiration from the housing facade of the surrounding neighborhood.

• The school features some turn-of-the-century design elements that are in line with designs of the Minerva Amusement Park, which opened in 1895.

  • • You’ll notice the turret at the front of the school. Turrets were featured throughout the amusement park.

    • The style of lettering used around the building is based on lettering used on an amusement park ticket.

  • Student and staff input helped shape the design of the building too.

    • Students wanted more color, natural lighting and comfortable furniture. They also wanted a petting zoo, but we couldn’t work that into the budget.

    • The color palette is based on the Crayola 8-pack of colors. The blue is based on the district’s logo, while the green is the same color used in the Village of Minerva Park logo.

    • The district’s curriculum department gave feedback that resulted in the final classroom designs, as well as spaces designed for specialized instruction.

Other things to take note of:

• The district’s first electric vehicle charging station is housed in the parking lot.

• In an effort to maximize the use of our construction dollars, this project follows guidelines established by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission.

• Some of the other things you’ll see, such as classroom windows that have their blinds built between the glass panels, are allowing us to pursue LEED Silver certification, which is the world’s premier benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.

As you walk through the building:

• Notice all the natural light throughout the building. Stairway areas, for example, use windows to provide that natural lighting and visually break up the space.

• Check out the hallways. You’ll see they are curved. The design was inspired by the curve of the Scenic Railway Roller Coaster, one of the main attractions of the amusement park. The design helps break up the long, institutional feel of the halls and provides pull-out and supplemental support space.