Education has long been the focus of a locale in southwest Rochester. In 1875, Phelps School was built as an elementary school for the city’s fast-growing population.
The school was named for prominent educator William F. Phelps, one-time president of Winona Normal School, and was on High Street between Genessee and Glencoe avenues, now Seventh Street Southwest between Sixth and Seventh avenues.
In 1915, the wooden structure was destroyed by a fire, the origin of which was suspicious at the time but never determined. Edison Elementary School replaced Phelps. We know it today as the Edison Building, administrative offices for Rochester public schools.
Next week: One of our earliest landmarks.
