This two-story brick building on a rectangular plan has a low hipped roof, a boxed and bracketed cornice, and a decorative frieze. Of the four schools that Montezuma Fuller designed in Fort Collins, the Laurel School (now Centennial High) is the only one remaining. Fuller also designed the German Congregational Church (1904), 201 Whed-bee Street.
The surrounding Laurel Street School Historic District, East Oak Street south to Lake Street and Remington Street east to Whed-bee Street, with some exclusions (NRD), is a residential neighborhood platted in 1873. It is characterized by wide streets, mature landscaping, and uniform setbacks and spacing. Of some 665 buildings, 549 are considered to contribute to the historic character of the district. The clapboard Coy House (1876), 401 Mathews Street, constructed by carpenter Grant Ferguson, is the oldest house in the district. Styles range from river rock Craftsman, at 628 East Elizabeth, to the hooded Germanic cottage at 503 Mathews, with its Flemish flared eaves. A hospitable landmark offering a good look at the interior of a typical district four-square is the Elizabeth Street Guest House (1905, M. G. Conley, builder), 202 East Elizabeth Street (northeast corner of Remington).