
Pictured is the building which
opened in 1905 and was attended by children living in the "Russia
Field" district. PO1.1216
It was renamed Monroe School in
1920 and it stood facing South Belmont Ave. |
Bert
Street School.
In 1905 Bert Street School was built
by Adam Fischer who also built several schools in Niles.
It had only four classes, grades 1-4 and was attended by children
living in the “Russia Field” district. It stood facing
South Belmont Avenue near the Olive Street intersection. The school
was razed in the 1960s and the students transferred to Jefferson
School on South Bentley Avenue. The area was named “Russia
Field” after the local steel mill that used the Russian
process to produce polished steel.
As was customary, Bert School was named after
the street upon which it was built. Bert Street later became Belmont
Avenue after the street was expanded. The street name “Bert”
was named after the son of the Robbins family. They practically
owned all of the land from the Mahoning River and acres around
it. It seems that when they started to make roads in that land,
they named the streets after their children, other streets were
named “Ann”, “Carle”
and “Clay”.
The Bert Street School in 1896-97 was a one-room
schoolhouse. In 1905 a new brick school house was built relacing
the old one-room wooden structure. The school was razed in the
1960's and the pupils transferred to Jefferson School on South
Bentley Avenue, which in turn was razed and the children sent
to Washington School on Hartzell Avenue. |

Bert Street School modernized with fire escapes.
.PO1.1217 |

Belmont Avenue looking south from the railroad
crossing. The bridge across the Mahoning river is in the distance
and Bert Street School is on the right. During the 1930's, there
was a WPA project to improve the streets.
PO1.1684 |

Postcard of Bert Street School.
|

Photo taken in the 1948-49 school year with Marie
Hofius as teacher.
Some of the students in the picture are:
Carl Jones, Dora Cogan, Janet Jerina,
Carol Yuhasz, Alex Szekely. Irene Szekely, Edward Ryznen, and
Alta Holbrook. |

|
Location of Bert
Street School as indicated in the 1909 Sandborn Fire map.
It is between Pew, Spring, Olive and Bert Streets
facing Bert Street.
Bert Street would become Belmont Avenue when
it was extended.
Bert Street School would be renamed Madison School
in 1920 when all the Niles City Schools were named after Presidents
of the United States of America. |