Dewey School

Dewey School is a striking example of Rockwell M. Milligan's eclectic approach to institutional design, combining Romanesque and Moorish/Spanish Revival elements in a red brick composition that stands out among St. Louis's school buildings. The facade features twin entrance portals flanking the central wing rather than a single central doorway — a signature Milligan arrangement — with projecting side wings, arched openings, and ornamental brickwork that give the building an animated, distinctive character.

Dewey School was designed by Rockwell M. Milligan and completed in 1917, part of the same Ittner/Milligan legacy that produced dozens of St. Louis public school buildings in the early twentieth century. The school was named for Admiral George Dewey, the naval hero of the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War, following the era's common practice of honoring military and civic figures in school names. A photograph by W.C. Persons taken around 1920 shows the building when Clayton Avenue was still an unpaved dirt road, capturing the school's early years in what was then a rapidly developing residential neighborhood. The school served Hi-Pointe neighborhood families for generations and remains in operation today as Dewey International Studies School, a SLPS public choice magnet serving grades PK–5 with a focus on international studies and cultural awareness.