Description of Historic Place

The Rummelhardt School is located at 600 Erb Street West, on the northeast corner of Erb Street West and Erbsville Court, in the City of Waterloo. This one-storey fieldstone building, constructed in 1867, is reminiscent of the Georgian style.

The property was designated, for its historic and architectural value, by the City of Waterloo, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-Law 00-107).

Heritage Value

The Rummelhardt School has been used as a site for education since 1843. The Rummelhardt School, Section 9, was organised on October 25, 1843 when the deed for the land was purchased by George Clemens, Hugh R. Folson, Joseph Erb, Jacob Lutz, Elias Bowman, Henry Snider and Elias Snider. These men were known as the Common School Commissioners for the Township of Waterloo. Built in 1867, it replaced the original 1844 log structure. The school was closed by Waterloo Township, in 1964, but was purchased by the K-W Bilingual School in 1966.

The Rummelhardt School is the only remaining stone school house in the City of Waterloo that is located on its original site. This one-storey school was designed as a single room school, with an attached teacher's room on the Erb Street side. The building was constructed of split granite fieldstone, laid in a somewhat regular course with mortar. The walls are two-feet thick. This building features 1/1 paned windows and a gable roof.

Sources: City of Waterloo By-Law 00-107; City of Waterloo LACAC Designation of Property, 1999.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Rummelhardt School include its:
- location on its original site in the City of Waterloo
- stone construction
- continued use as a site for education since 1843
- split granite fieldstone
- two-foot thick walls
- gable roof
- attached teacher's room