The magnificent Collegiate Gothic style 1923 high school (NRHP), 300 W. Locust, might remind you of a giant chocolate cake piped with elaborate decorative white icing. The red-brick building, now Independence Middle School, occupies a full city block. The 1939 gymnasium addition was a Public Works Administration (PWA) project. A second PWA structure, the 1940 Washington School (NRHP) at 300 E. Myrtle, is a sleek example of the Modern Movement style.