King Street Public School
The King Street Public School was constructed in 1913. It was built on land that had been farmed by the Gillett family and was offered to the school board by the McLaughlin Carriage Company, who had purchased the Gillett farm.
The building was described by the Oshawa Reformer as follows:
A word about the new school on King Street… It is a two storey solid brick building, 90 by 66 feet, trimmed in natural white stone. It has eight fine classrooms with high ceilings and is excellently lighted and ventilated by ducts in the walls… The architects, Ellis and Conroy, claim it is the best building in Oshawa and are profuse in the work contractor W.J. Trick has accomplished in this instance.
To commemorate King George VI’s coronation in 1937, the school planted blue spruces outside of the school, and the school children gathered to see the planting. In May 1939, two silver weeping birches were planted to commemorate the Royal Visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. During the Second World War, the students participated in various initiatives to support the war effort.
In 1953, King Street was re-organized as a senior public school, open to students in grades 7 and 8.
King Street School closed in June 1981 and was demolished in late August 1982.
With information from
J. Douglas Ross, Education in Oshawa: From Settlement to City
https://images.ourontario.ca/oshawa/41814/data
King Street School Reunion, 1913-1978; Oshawa Museum archival collection (A023.18.1)
Oshawa Times, 1 Sept 1982
