Long School is a handsome two-story red brick building designed in the Classical Revival style, featuring symmetrical facades, limestone trim, and large multi-pane windows that provided ample natural light to classrooms. The structure displays the formal, institutional character typical of architect Rockwell Milligan's work for St. Louis Public Schools, with a prominent central entrance and restrained decorative elements that emphasize civic dignity.
Long School was constructed in 1922 to serve the growing residential community in the Bevo neighborhood of south St. Louis. The school was designed by Rockwell Milligan, a prolific architect who contributed numerous educational buildings to the St. Louis Public Schools system during the early twentieth century. Like many schools built during this era, Long School was part of a broader effort to accommodate the expanding population of families settling in the city's southern reaches. The school was named in honor of a notable figure in St. Louis history, following the district's tradition of commemorating civic leaders and educators through its school buildings. Throughout the mid-twentieth century, Long School served generations of students from the surrounding Academy neighborhood, functioning as both an educational institution and a community anchor along the busy Morgan Ford Road commercial corridor. As demographic shifts affected St. Louis neighborhoods in the latter half of the twentieth century, many school buildings saw changes in enrollment and usage. Long School's building at 5028 Morgan Ford Road remains standing today, a testament to the substantial construction methods employed by the school district during the 1920s building boom. The structure continues to be a recognizable landmark in the Academy neighborhood.
