National and State Register

Cortez High School

Montezuma County

The Cortez High School, also known as the Calkins School, was constructed in three phases (1909, 1924, 1935), reflecting the community’s growing population as well as targeted periods of public investment in education in Montezuma County. 

Cortez High School

Cortez High School

The 1935 expansion was funded by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which replicated original details such as the arched entrance while simultaneously restyling the building by removing the original bell tower and hipped roof, resulting in a more simple design common to WPA projects.  In addition to its important role in local education, the school building is important as a local example of the WPA Rustic Style