By Luke Anderson

February 24, 2016

After World War II, Wyoming and the rest of the country began building schools like crazy to accommodate all the baby boomers. Wyoming embarked on a statewide building program in an effort to modernize its schools. Dean Morgan Junior High in Casper was a part of that campaign and stands today as an example of the Modernist school of architecture of the Post-war Era—a time when the straight line, rejection of ornament, and “form follows function” credo took hold. In 1953, Casper teens entered the new Dean Morgan Junior High, praised for its “space, soft colors, modern illumination, convection heating, and a general building design tailored for needs of younger teen-agers.”  The Natrona County School District (NCSD) recently renovated the 62-year-old building (one of only a few left in the state), updating its systems but keeping the overall Mid-century Modernist design and decorative touches such as aluminum lettering and terrazzo floors. In 1989, the school received recognition from former First Lady of the United States Nancy Reagan, one of 30 schools across the nation, for its anti-drug program. AHW’s National Register nomination for the school is currently being reviewed by NCSD.