Rittenhouse Elementary School, Spanish Colonial Revival school building in Queen Creek, Arizona

Rittenhouse Elementary School is a Spanish Colonial Revival school building located at the intersection of Ellsworth and Queen Creek roads in Arizona. The structure retains original features such as transom windows, maple floors with tongue-and-groove joints, and slate blackboards throughout its interior spaces.

The first classes in the Rittenhouse area were held from 1920 in a former cook shack on land provided by G. R. "Gid" Duncan, partner of land developer Charles Rittenhouse, for whom the school is named. Construction of the three-room, U-shaped red brick building began in 1924 and was completed in 1925, though classes started in 1926. It closed in 1982 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Today it houses the San Tan Historical Society Museum, where visitors explore Queen Creek's past through exhibits about farming and education in the region. Photographs and documents tell the story of how the community developed over time.

The building is open to the public as a museum and sits at a central location in Queen Creek that is easy to reach on foot. Plan your visit during regular museum hours to see the full range of exhibits and displays.

The slate blackboards still carry the text left from the last day of classes in 1982, when the school closed and the district turned the building into storage. The original wood-trimmed alcoves in all four classrooms keep their coat hooks, cubby holes and storage closets.