2317 Howe Street (Racine, Wisconsin)

2317 Howe Street is a school building on the northeast corner of Howe Street and 24th Street in Racine, Wisconsin. It is located just inside the city limits of Racine, and is surrounded by the village of Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin on the northwest, west, and south. The building was originally constructed for Lakeside School in 1923. Since 1996, the building has been home to the Racine Montessori School.

History
The first Lakeside School building was constructed at what is now 2343 Mead Street in 1901. The current two-story brick building at 2317 Howe Street was built one block east to replace it in 1923. The school was part of an independent public school district until the formation of the Racine Unified School District in 1961. The last elementary school classes were held in the building in June 1962, but Racine Unified continued to use the building for special education and pre-school classes, as well as Junior High Academy classes for "students who do not succeed in the traditional classroom. The district first attempted to sell the building in 1978, attracting interest from and the U.S. Army Reserve, both of which already had facilities immediately next to the building, but neither made any offers. After further negotiations, Case agreed to purchase the building in February 1979 for $101,000.

In 1996, the Wisconsin Natural Gas Company moved out of its offices in downtown Racine, selling the building to Case Corporation. Case decided to move the offices at the Lakeside building to the downtown location. During the same year, Heartland Properties began planning to develop apartment housing in the nearby DeKoven Center complex, forcing Racine Montessori School to leave the complex and find a new location. The school agreed to purchase the newly-vacant Lakeside building from Case Corporation, bringing the building back into its original use as a school.