While minority groups were not allowed to purchase property in most of the neighborhood, Caucasians flocked to the area. As Floral Park was quickly developing and enticing a large number of new citizens, the city quickly realized that this growth would necessitate a new school. In 1920, the Board of Education secured a large tract of land along the south side of Milburn Boulevard between Hendricks and Jackson. This parcel initially hosted a portable structure, which educated children for their first three years. It was known as the “Milburn School” or the “Milburn Boulevard Portable School.” For further elementary education, children would have to walk to the former South Side School at 8^th and Spring Streets. 

The portable school was moved to Merrifield Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard in 1926, and a handsome modern educational facility was erected on the site. That fall, the facility would officially open to educate all the children on the southwest side of Mishawaka. Designed by South Bend architects Freyermuth & Maurer, the elegant building was named LaSalle Elementary School. It had a capacity of 700, and it would serve grades 1-6 as well as kindergarten. Notably, the Arcadian brick with white brick trim resembled the brand-new Mishawaka High School, located on the east side of the city. Inside, the glazed brick, ample windows, and modern furniture reflected the most contemporary amenities and state-of-the-art school design. Most impressive was the combination gymnasium and auditorium, which was larger than the high school gymnasium at the time. The South Bend Tribune trumpeted LaSalle Elementary as a “monument to the progressiveness of the city.”