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 Avenue.

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.

Niles Daily Times June 15, 1954
Abandonment of the Monroe Elementary school building on South Belmont Avenue was approved by the Niles City School District board of education. With the start of the new school year in September the 75 pupils at the Monroe school will be transferred to classes at the Jefferson school on South Bentley Avenue. School bus service to the Jefferson school will be provided pupils formerly attending the Monroe school.
Members of the teaching staff at the Monroe school will become additions to the Jefferson school faculty with Mrs. Effie Clark, who has served as Monroe principal, becoming assistant principal of Jefferson school.

The brick two-story Monroe school building known years ago as the Bert Street school, is the first of the smaller city school buildings to be eliminated under the city-wide school improvement and modernization program for which school district voters approved a $2,500,000 bond issue last November Advertisements for the sale of the Monroe school building will be published with sale of the property to be on the basis of competitive bidding.

Abandonment of the Monroe building was recommended in a state survey last year which cited declining enrollment at the school for a number of years. Another four-room school expected to be abandoned in some-time future year is the Harrison school at McKinley Heights with pupils there expected to be transferred to a new school constructed somewhere on Robbins Avenue.
The school improvement program also calls for changing of the Jackson school on Warren Avenue into a school administration building with elementary grades there to be transferred into the new junior high school which will be at the present McKinley high school building. The present high school building will be replaced by a new high school expected to be constructed south of the football stadium with work expected to begin later this year.

Niles Daily Times May 17, 1954
A request that the Board of Education of the Niles City School District turn the Monroe property on South Belmont Avenue over to the City of Niles for use as a public playground has been made by City Council. The building could be retained as a community center for that section of town which has been neglected for many years. The summer playground would also be retained under such a program.

The sale of the Monroe school will mean that the Niles Recreation Department will lose the only city playground in that section of town creating a serious problem. Recreation Director Ernest Ziegler affirmed the loss of the playground at the Monroe school would seriously hamper the Recreation Department summer playground program. The Russia Field area would have no playground if it sold by the school system as planned. Ziegler pointed out that there is no other available site for a playground in that area.

Niles Daily Times June 12, 1956
Board members voted rental of the Monroe school property to the Robins Furniture Company for storage purposes at a rent of $50 monthly with the board to handle insurance, maintenance of roof and walls and the renter to pay for heat, lighting and general maintenance.

Niles Daily Times September 25, 1959
The Board of Education awarded a contract for the razing of the abandoned Monroe school building after accepting a low bid of $790. The building for the past several years has been used by the Robins Furniture Company as a warehouse. The Board currently is planning to use the site as a playground center for the youth in that area.

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

Front entrance to Bert Street School. PO10.30

Postcard of Bert Street School.

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

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 later become Belmont Avenue when it was extended.

Bert Street School would be renamed Monroe School in 1920 when all the Niles City Schools were named after Presidents of the United States of America.