Walter Reuther Central High School

Walter Reuther Central High School is an alternative high school in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Part of the Kenosha Unified School District, the school serves 572 students in grades 9-12.

The classic limestone structure that houses Reuther High School was designed by John D. Chubb and built between 1924 and 1927. Occupying a massive block-square, the school is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as one of the structures comprising Kenosha’s Civic Center Historic District. When built, it was called Kenosha High School; Central High School is the name engraved in its namestone. It later became Mary D. Bradford High School, and ultimately Walter Reuther Central High School, named for United Auto Workers leader Walter Reuther.

The building is the third iteration of Central High School. The first was built in 1849 and housed "all the children who attended public school classes in the town, from first grade up." but was deemed inadequate by 1890. The process of building the second started in July 1890, on the site of an existing grade school, which was demolished to make way for the new High School. Students of the grade school were temporarily relocated to the nearby Courthouse. The second was finished in September 1891, however it was poorly constructed and by 1910 the Auditorium and Assembly Hall portions of the building had been condemned. In 1922, a special committee appointed by the school board found the high school building to be inadequate, and the plans to build the third across the street were set in motion. A contract to have the new building finished by May 26, 1926 was signed, and the cornerstone was laid on November 20, 1924. Finally, on February 22, 1926, 74 days before the contract date, classes were conducted in the new building. The second building was remodeled and converted to Central Junior High School, and later served as an annex to the High School. The second building was eventually demolished in 1980 and replaced with a parking lot. A major remodeling project was completed in 1993 at an approximate cost of $3,500,000. Restoration of the building's exterior limestone was conducted in the late 2000s.