Gundlach School is a two-story brick school building designed by George Sanger in the Wells Goodfellow neighborhood. The structure follows the standardized public school designs characteristic of St. Louis's interwar building program, featuring symmetrical massing and practical classroom layouts. The brick exterior presents a restrained institutional appearance typical of Depression-era educational construction, with regularly spaced windows providing natural light to interior spaces. Architectural detailing is modest, emphasizing functionality and durability over ornament.
Gundlach School was constructed in 1931 in the Wells Goodfellow neighborhood, designed by George Sanger, who served as architect for St. Louis Public Schools during this period. The school was named after Jacob Gundlach, a German immigrant who became a prominent St. Louis businessman and civic figure in the nineteenth century. The building opened during the final years of a major expansion program for St. Louis public schools, which had seen dozens of new buildings erected across the city in the 1920s and early 1930s to accommodate growing enrollment. Gundlach School served elementary-aged children in the surrounding residential area. The school continued operating for several decades as part of the St. Louis Public Schools system. Like other schools in the district, it would have experienced significant enrollment fluctuations as neighborhood population patterns shifted throughout the mid-to-late twentieth century. Gundlach School remains standing at 2931 Arlington Avenue.
