Children's Museum of Phoenix

Monroe School a.k.a. Monroe High School is a historic school located in Phoenix, Arizona. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in August 1977. It no longer houses a school; instead, it houses the Children's Museum of Phoenix.

The school was constructed at 215 N. 7th St., Phoenix in 1914. The three-story brick building was designed by Norman Foote Marsh, a Los Angeles architect, in Neoclassical architecture. The school was the largest elementary school west the Mississippi River when it opened in 1914. [note 1]

The building was used as an educational facility for thousands of children over the years. The 1960s urban-renewal programs played an important part in many families' relocation to new areas. The school's enrollment was thus reduced. In 1972, the school was closed as an educational institution.

Monroe School, reference #77000237, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 26, 1977. After some remodeling, the building was used as a Department of Defense recruitment center. However, it was closed again in 1998.

A small group of volunteers created the Phoenix Family Museum in 1998. The Phoenix Legislature supported the group, approving $10.5 million in bond funds to buy and partially renovate Monroe School. In 2006, the renovation of the building started. The Phoenix Family Museum moved to the school, which became the new home of the Phoenix School Museum. On June 14, 2008 the museum opened to the public.

Many exhibits and activities were available inside the museum to encourage interaction between parents, children, and their caregivers. A whole wall of glittery CDs hangs from the ceiling. The "Noodle Forest" is a collection of Styrofoam tubes that tower over the ceiling and is open to both children and parents. The Children's Museum of Phoenix was named one of the top three American children's museums in 2015.

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