old school

WY: West Side surveyed for historical value

2010-11-16T11:19:00.001-06:00

Established as early as the 1870s, Laramie’s West Side is one of the oldest neighborhoods in town. Within its borders, visitors will find late 19th century Union Pacific Corp. row houses for employees along Railroad Street, storefront businesses on West University Avenue that once housed local grocers and supply shops and have been renovated into homes, a unique 1885 Swedish Lutheran Church and even a local bar.

Mary Humstone, a historic preservation specialist at the university, and two of her students hosted a meeting Thursday for West Side residents to discuss the survey at the Lincoln Community Center, another West Side building with a rich history and a promising future.

The Lincoln Community Center, 365 W. Grand, was built in 1924 as a public school. Expansions in 1939 and 1954 increased its space to 14,200 square feet, and the facility was used as a school until 1978. It was vacant until the Lincoln Community Center Inc. formed in 1983.

IN: Old school's historic status may be at risk

2010-11-16T11:13:00.001-06:00

Town officials are concerned that repair to an outer wall of the Old Lowell Grade School, done without a permit, could affect the school's historic status. Maria Bodor, who bought the school in 1989, has made sporadic repairs to the hulking 114-year-old building, which has since fallen into disrepair. The town has made numerous but unsuccessful attempts to convince Bodor to make needed repairs to bring the building up to code.

IA: Fort Dodge High School

2010-02-13T11:15:00.004-06:00

Constructed: Unknown
Demolished: Unknown
Address: Unknown

Fort Dodge (county seat of Webster County, Iowa) is known for its gypsum and limestone mining. Gypsum is big in this corner of Iowa: it’s used in the creation of drywall which was patented by an area resident, and the area rock was used to create the Cardiff Giant.

We have no idea if the gypsum was used in the creation of this school (we doubt it), but we sense the building is long gone. That, and the Giant isn't an alumnus.

Links:
History of Fort Dodge and Webster County, Iowa

TN: Rosemark demolition to proceed

2008-07-13T08:55:00.001-05:00

We mentioned last month the Rosemark School and how alumni were trying to save the 92-year-old building. They raised $107,000 in just 30 days, but fell short of the amount required to keep away the wrecking ball. The school comes down before the end of the month.

Link:
www.commercialappeal.com

WA: 1892 school was South Sound pioneer

2008-06-08T14:25:00.001-05:00

The world was a lot different in 1892.

Grover Cleveland defeated Benjamin Harrison to win the presidency, author J.R.R. Tolkien was born, and poet Walt Whitman died.

And the doors to what eventually became Steilacoom’s Pioneer Middle School first opened.

The school has since undergone several renovations and additions while educating thousands of the town’s children. But a school fit for the 19th century doesn’t quite work in the 21st, so hundreds of former and current students and teachers and other community members gathered in Pioneer’s gymnasium Saturday to bid farewell to the school, which is closing this month.

A new Pioneer Middle School – one boasting 106,000 square feet and costing $34.6 million – will open this fall in DuPont.

“The memory of the school lives on not in the walls, but in your heart,” Al Lawrence, the chairman of the Steilacoom Historical School District board, told the audience.

A cavalcade of speakers shared their favorite memories. The choir and band performed for the crowd. The Associated Student Body officers filled a time capsule – set to be opened in 25 years – with everything from yearbooks to pictures to a school district staff directory.

Three students read poems paying homage to the school, and a slide show documented its transformation from the wooden building known as Steilacoom School to today’s more modern structure.

News Tribune
June 4, 2008

CA: Fate of Villa Park historic buildings to be decided

2008-06-08T14:14:00.001-05:00

The fate of two historic buildings on the Villa Park Elementary School campus will be determined by the school district Thursday.

The Orange Unified School District board is expected to certify the environmental impact report on the buildings and decide whether the structures should be demolished.

The district had offered to sell the buildings to a group or individual who could relocate and rehabilitate them. Officials received no offers, said Michael Christensen, assistant superintendent of administrative services.

The buildings have suffered neglect and damage through the decades and do not fulfill seismic requirements, officials say. Children have been kept out of the buildings for years, after they were deemed unsafe.

Some community members say that the buildings should be "mothballed," or preserved in its current condition, until enough money is raised to revamp the buildings. A petition is being circulated to drum up last-minute support.

In 1999, the Villa Park Elementary School Restoration Corp. was formed to restore the two buildings for students' use. The structures were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. However, the organization struggled with raising adequate funds to follow through with restoration plans.

The two structures are the oldest public buildings in the city. Built in 1919, the main building's features include a gabled roof with Spanish tiles and a bell tower. The smaller building was built in 1924.

Orange County Register
June 4, 2008

WA: Pioneer school bell rings one last time in Steilacoom

2008-06-08T13:13:00.001-05:00

As part of Steilacoom Historical School District's "Closing" of the 1917 Pioneer Middle School, current ASB officers filled a time capsule with memorabilia from 2008. The capsule is to be opened in 25 years' time. It will be half a century before the first time capsule, filled in 1962, can be opened, according to Kathy Lech, the school's office manager.

Although classes at the historic district's oldest school (established in 1854) remain in session through June 13, it closes as an educational facility this year. While the building's future has yet to be determined, school classes will resume on Aug. 28 at the new middle school in DuPont/Northwest Landing. The district's school board is expected to make a decision about the building later this year.

Suburban Times
June 2008

FL: South Ward school is history

2008-06-08T11:13:00.001-05:00

Nearly 100 years ago, some locally famous people walked the halls of South Ward Elementary School and learned history, math and English in its classrooms.

Auto dealer Larry Dimmitt, 94, was among them.

The boys went barefoot, the girls wore long dresses. They dipped their pens in inkwells and did their share of sweating because there was no air conditioning.

Built in 1906, it was the first school in what was then western Hillsborough County, which is now, of course, Pinellas County.

But with enrollment down, it closed its doors forever Tuesday, and the future of the structure, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is unclear.

Just the thought of demolishing such an important building saddens Mike Sanders, a local historian and Dimmitt's nephew.

Sanders attended South Ward in the late 1950s and loved it. He said he still remembers some of his teachers and vividly recalls hiding under his desk during bomb drills.

When it was first constructed, South Ward catered to all grades from kindergarten to 12th grade.

In 1912, a separate building was added to house the high school.

"I hope it isn't demolished,'' Sanders said. "A city that tears down buildings (on the National Register of Historic Places) has a problem. Most cities respect their historic structures."

St. Petersburg Times
June 4, 2008

OH: Decision on Scott coming "very soon"

2008-06-08T10:31:00.001-05:00

A decision on Scott High School - whether to build new or renovate - will be made "very soon," the business manager for Toledo Public Schools says.

Dr. Ronald Victor, convening the final of eight community meetings on the topic last week, said public input mostly favors renovation of the 96-year-old building that he himself called "beautiful and majestic."

But he reminded the 10 people who attended the May 29 meeting that the district remains $12 to $14 million short for completely renovating the massive building on Collingwood Boulevard.

"We want Scott High School to be the very best it can be, whether it's a renovated building or a new building," Dr. Victor said. "The young people who attend it deserve it. The community deserves it."

Toledo Journal
June 3, 2008

VA: Got an idea for 1908 building? Complete the assignment

2008-06-08T10:25:00.001-05:00

People interested in applying to use the 1908 school building on Strother Street in Marion have their hands full completing a homework assignment that will put them in the running for a possible but far from certain acquisition of the building.

The planning team working to find the best adaptive reuse of the building has issued a detailed request for proposals to guide responses from those interested in using the building.

Response to that opportunity has been substantial, according to Ken Heath, who is spearheading the planning team’s study.

Heath said people have submitted about five ideas, including two that arrived after a May 31 News & Messenger photo spread highlighted the enormous cleanup and interior repair job that stands between the empty building’s current status and some future use.

“The main thing I’ve seen is a lot of sentiment to save the building, which I share, but without the numbers, it’s hard to tell,” Heath said.

The RFP includes a checklist of requirements. Applicants must provide a concise narrative on the vision, plan, and proposed use for the building, no more than two pages long. They must explain how the proposed use would fit in with Downtown Marion, the Town of Marion, and/or Smyth County and the region. They also must identify in two pages both the target market for the reuse and the level of demand in that market.

Applicants must further describe how proposed use fits both the historic site of the old school and the existing building, or whether the proposed use require substantial changes to the original floor plan, wiring, plumbing, windows and other structural components.

Tax credits are available for people who maintain the historic appearance of buildings to Virginia Department of Historic Resources standards, Heath said.

Wytheville Enterprise
June 3, 2008

CO: Beginning of the end

2008-06-08T10:21:00.001-05:00

Staff members, former student speak out as Craig Middle School nears demolition date:

Impending demolition of the existing Craig Middle School elicits conflicting emotions for Craig Middle School secretary Beth Gilchrist.

“We’ve all been a little melancholy,” she said, speaking on behalf of other middle school staff members.

Nonetheless, she said she sees hope on the horizon.

“I’m excited (with) what we’re going to get out of the deal,” she said.

On Monday, crews began making preparations to tear down most of the existing building to make way for a new facility, which will be built around the existing gym, auditorium and industrial arts complex.

Asbestos removal is under way in the building, said Doug Young, The Neenan Company project superintendent.

Meanwhile, workers are scheduled to begin cutting the building pad for the new middle school’s southern wing today, he said.

He estimated that if the project remains on schedule, building demolition will begin June 10.

The latter step spells out the last chapter for a building that has housed Moffat County students for 60 years.

The building first opened as Moffat County High School in 1948, according to the Museum of Northwest Colorado.

Upon completion of the existing high school in 1981, the building was converted into a middle school housing the district’s seventh- and eighth-grade students, according to museum records.

Craig Daily Press
June 3, 2008

MA: Stirred, not Shaken: A tale of two schools

2008-06-08T10:18:00.002-05:00

Two school buildings in Norwood are getting a lot of attention lately. Controversy always has a way of drawing attention. Both schools are dangerously close to extinction, and both have a group of advocates working at trying to save them.

Let’s start with the smallest and the oldest. The little red brick schoolhouse stands awkwardly on the busy corner of Pleasant Street and Sumner Street. Built in 1788 when Norwood still was a part of Dedham, it easily has become one of our town’s oldest schoolhouses. The town, however, does not own the school – the current owner of the property on which it sits is the rightful owner.

I remember talking to the owner once about the little school. Having the building on his property was a problem. He told me he would like to have it demolished, yet he respected the Historical Commission’s desire to keep it intact. The owner had a dilemma; he wanted to do the right thing for the schoolhouse.

That was well over 10 years ago.

-=-

The case of the other school building, the Norwood Senior High School, holds en entirely different set of problems. The debate of whether to restore the building or raze it and rebuild has continued for over four years. Even after the Committee of 21 had decided that a new school was the best option and voters agreed on a $6 million override for design plans, a group in opposition of demolishing the old high school, the Common Sense Committee, continued their platform.

-=-

Yes, the fight will continue, for the little red schoolhouse and for the School on the Hill. The most important thing is that, in the end, we do what is best for the town and come together with complete support of the final decisions.

Ann Weaver, Norwood, Massachustts Bulletin
June 2, 2008

WI: One-room school still hosts learning

2008-06-08T10:14:00.001-05:00

Reed School stopped functioning as a classroom in 1951, but the small, quaint Clark County structure still is educating students.

In fact, thanks to the generosity of a man who attended the school in the spring of 1939, the building is the only one of Wisconsin's one-room schoolhouses still standing to be named a Wisconsin Historical Society historic site. The society lists 10 sites as state attractions.

Gordon Smith spent that long-ago spring at Reed School by chance. His parents decided to take a vacation and arranged for Smith to stay with his grandparents near Neillsville. So for six weeks the first-grade boy attended class along with a cousin at the one-room school.

Smith said he was apprehensive about the switch from his large school in Gary, Ind., to the small, rural Reed School at the corner of U.S. 10 and Cardinal Avenue about two miles east of Neillsville. But he quickly grew to like his new surroundings, and although he left at the end of the school year, his short stay left a lasting impression.

Leader-Telegram
June 2, 2008

WA: Angle Lake school fire sparks nostalgia

2008-06-07T18:38:00.001-05:00

Although plans already were being made to tear down the abandoned Angle Lake Elementary School that burned over the weekend, its fiery demise sparked feelings of sadness and nostalgia for the old brick building that once was a source of great pride for SeaTac.

"It makes me sick that this building is now all but gone," said Cyndi Upthegrove, a board member of the Highline Historical Society, which recently invited former students, teachers and staffers to recount their memories of the old school via oral histories.

The Highline School District, which christened the building in 1928, shut down the school in 1975. The building played host to several community-based organizations after that.

About 18 years ago, it housed the offices for the campaign to incorporate SeaTac, and eventually served as SeaTac's first City Hall, including the municipal court and offices for the police department.

Seattle Times
June 2, 2008

NC: Durham High School

2008-06-07T18:31:00.003-05:00

endangereddurham.org has a feature on Durham High School, including a number of interesting photographs.

OH: Lincolnview sells memories at school auction

2008-06-07T18:26:00.001-05:00

For one last time, former students walked the halls of the historic school building. The occasion was the auction of fixtures by Lincolnview Local Schools on Saturday. The sale, which predates the demolition of the memory-filled school by only a couple of weeks, brought out former students as well as auction-goers to view and buy items that won't be needed when the new school facility opens for classes this fall.

Many of the hallways were thick with spectators as interested in seeing the old place again as in buying a desk or chalkboard.

"It's bittersweet I guess," mused 1957 graduate Phyllis Davis. "They need the new school, and I'm all for having the modern building, and I voted for it. But it's still kind of sad."

he classrooms in the oldest part of the school showed their age, although most everything from the hardwood floors to projection screens found buyers. One item found a special home. Tucked away in one of the classrooms was a large podium that bore a small gold plaque. The plaque noted that the podium was a gift from the Class of 1957. The high bidder for the podium? The 1957 class president, Phyllis Davis.

Times Bulletin News
June 2, 2008

OH: Harding fight not over yet

2008-06-07T18:25:00.001-05:00

While a community effort to preserve Warren G. Harding High School made some progress last week, it still may be too little, too late as the time approaches for the scheduled auction of the high school’s contents and demolition looms.

The group — Save Harding — announced last week that months ago it had begun the process for nominating the high school to The National Register of Historic Places. Harding was built in 1924.

Its preliminary questionnaire made it to a staff review on Thursday by the Ohio Historic Preservation Office and was found to meet the criteria for the register. Now the group must complete its nomination and return it to the state, with hopes of it making it to the State Advisory Board that makes the call on whether the nomination is forwarded to the National Park Service, which controls the register.

The designation alone, however, could not stop the demolition, and the group is still asking the Board of Education to reconsider leveling most of the school.

Tribune Chronicle
June 2, 2008

MI: No one bids on Waltz schoolhouse

2008-06-07T18:21:00.001-05:00

A historical old brick schoolhouse in the Village of Waltz still is up for sale despite no bids being submitted at an auction last week.

The [two-room brick building built in 1885] and nearly two acres of property off Mineral Springs Rd. owned by the Frank and Nora Adkins family was the only real estate that didn't sell, said Scott Adkins, a member of the family.

Monroe Evening News
June 4, 2008

AK: Fairbanks Public School

2008-06-07T09:54:00.004-05:00

Constructed: Unknown
Demolished: Unknown
Address: Unknown

It’s the northernmost school building we’ve posted a photograph of online, but, never the less, we know next to nothing about this former “Public School” in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Links:
Historic Preservation in Fairbanks
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District

OH: Former Cincinnati school to be reborn as cultural arts center

2008-06-07T09:45:00.000-05:00

Ruth Dickey stands in the entryway of the cavernous Clifton School building, literally surrounded by the enormity of the job she was hired to do.

As founding executive director of the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Dickey must raise the hundreds of thousands of dollars needed to transform the 53,000-square-foot historic school into a bustling cultural center while at the same time filling the place with programs and activities for fall.

But even though she's the sole paid staffer for the massive project at this point, Dickey feels far from alone.

"One of the most exciting things about this project is that it began with four years of community participation, and I have a really involved board that brings that history with them," Dickey said. "It's exciting to be part of something that feels like it's been grown up from the community."

Business Courier of Cincinnati
June 6, 2008

AL: Historic Lee High May Fall Victim to Decreased Enrollment, Budget Cuts

2008-06-07T09:42:00.002-05:00

The most recent figures from Huntsville city schools show that Butler High School is only using 35 percent of its total capacity, the lowest in the district. Enrollment has steadily dwindled over the years, leaving half-empty classrooms and hallways despite yearly maintenance bills that run six to seven figures deep.

On Thursday, the head of a special task force looking at school consolidation told WAAY-31 News those factors make Butler a prime candidate for closure.

WAAY-TV, Huntsville, Alabama

PA: Schenley High supporters want council hearing on school closing

2008-06-07T09:37:00.001-05:00

Far from giving up their fight to save the Pittsburgh Schenley High School building, supporters are going around Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt and appealing to school board members, legislators and City Council.

They may have an ally in Councilman William Peduto, who said he's working on a plan to fund renovations to the Schenley building and redevelop the former Reizenstein Middle School property in Shadyside.

"What if we didn't borrow" to pay for the Schenley work? he said.

Schenley supporters gathered enough signatures to force council to hold a hearing into Mr. Roosevelt's proposal to close the building at the end of the school year. Council may vote Tuesday to have the hearing scheduled.

Mr. Roosevelt says the district cannot afford to remediate asbestos and address other maintenance problems at the landmark Oakland school. The most recent cost estimate, which Mr. Roosevelt released May 19, was $76.2 million.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 7, 2008

PA: Students work to fix aging Overbrook High

2008-06-07T09:34:00.001-05:00

Kaisha Smith wants people to know that her classmates at Overbrook High are bright and ambitious. But she also wants the public to know that they attend classes where mice dart across floors and graffiti mar the walls.

She hopes everyone knows that the fountains spout cloudy, bitter water; that the hallways are dark; and that until this week the crumbling bathrooms lacked soap or mirrors.

Visiting the West Philadelphia school on Monday, new schools chief Arlene Ackerman noted the conditions and vowed quick action, and during the last few days, the district has spent thousands fixing bathrooms and exposed wires flagged during her tour.

Overbrook, a grand, five-story Gothic Revival structure dubbed "Castle on the Hill," is a West Philadelphia landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places whose beautiful exterior belies a different reality inside.

Though neat, Pollack's classroom has a badly stained sink, and the desks are all graffiti-covered and missing drawers. On a recent day, Pollack, an easygoing, enthusiastic man, talked to his students about crafting a message to drum up support.

"Some people that we're sending letters to get thousands of letters a day," Pollack told his 25 honors students. "We're not necessarily asking for support, but if Gov. Rendell mentions us in a speech, that draws attention to our cause and we get sponsors."

Pollack, who came to the school through Teach for America, saw the projects as a good opportunity to mix science with social conscience.

"This is our school. This is our community. We need to take care of it," said Pollack.

The 1924 building is one of the district's neediest, used by 1,700 students during the day and community groups at night, interim chief operating officer Fred Farlino said.

Philadelphia Inquirer, June 6, 2008

WA: Farmington High School

2008-06-06T21:22:00.002-05:00

Constructed: Unknown
Demolished: Unknown
Address: Unknown

The City of Farmington website notes that in 1969 the public school shut down and now students are bused to schools in surrounding towns (the town is also void of any stop lights, too). At any rate, that bit of trivia hints that the school in the picture is long gone from the tiny community that seems to straddle the boarder of Washington and Idaho.

MO - Former Moberly Junior High named to National Register

2008-06-05T22:02:00.002-05:00

The former Moberly (MO) Junior High School is one of 17 Missouri properties to be added recently to the National Register of Historic Places, according to the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ State Historic Preservation Office.

The Moberly Junior High School was completed in 1930 from a design by local architect Ludwig Abt. The school was the first junior high in the city and was the result of a major school reorganization and building campaign. Abt was the principal architect for the Moberly school district during the building program that produced the Moberly Junior High and three other public school buildings. He is also noted for the designs of other prominent buildings of the early 20th century including the Fourth Street Theatre, National Guard Armory and the Moberly Federal Building (post office). Also included in the nomination is the attached gymnasium that was constructed in 1917.

Moberly Monitor-Index
June 5, 2008

FL: South Ward Elementary building a historic one

2008-06-05T21:58:00.001-05:00

Letter to the Editor:

Thank you for writing a story about the closing of South Ward Elementary School in Clearwater. Hopefully, including in the story that the fate of the building is up in the air will get people's attention.

The original building at South Ward is the oldest standing structure in Clearwater. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

In these uncertain financial times, it is still important to preserve our history. The Clearwater Historical Society supports the preservation of local history.

We feel South Ward School could serve many needs in our community. The site could be used as a place for local artists or art education, it could also accommodate a senior center, and it could serve as a place to showcase local history. Local officials talk of wanting downtown Clearwater to become more like our neighbor, Dunedin, which has a thriving downtown. Now is the time to put talk into action and save South Ward and at the same time enrich our community.

from Lorelei Keif, president, Clearwater Historical Society

St. Petersburg Times
June 6, 2008

IL: Book about one-room schoolhouses in LaSalle County to be published

2008-06-05T19:40:00.001-05:00

Clyde Tombaugh was considered one of the great minds of the astronomical world. Yet the discoverer of Pluto began his scholastic career humbly enough in a one-room schoolhouse a couple miles northwest of Streator.

“I recall the old Heenanville School vividly,” Tombaugh wrote to former teacher Sue Szabo in 1968, nine years before his death. By then, he was a professor of astronomy at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces and hailed worldwide for his discovery.

Tombaugh, born in 1906, was one of thousands of late 19th- and early 20th-century elementary students who attended one of the 250 one-room schoolhouses in LaSalle County. Lucielle Werner of Streator and dozens of volunteers are putting together a book on those schools, to be published this summer by the LaSalle County Historical Society.

The book is an attempt to record that segment of education before the former students and documentation gets lost.

Bloomington Pantagraph
June 1, 2008

DC: Preservation League accuses city of neglect

2008-06-01T13:38:00.002-05:00

The D.C. public school system's entire inventory of buildings made the D.C. Preservation League's annual list of endangered places in the city this year.

"Years of deferred maintenance as a result of budget cuts and mismanagement have left many school buildings in an advanced state of disrepair," said the group.

Members also were deeply concerned about the future of the school buildings, despite a promise last year by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, a Democrat, to close 23 of the 165 buildings, including those of Elizabethan and Modernist designs, and repair the rest.

"For those whose fate is closure, their future rests entirely upon what new use, if any, can be determined," the group said

The Preservation League has compiled annual lists for the past 12 years to bring attention to "historically, culturally and architecturally significant" places in danger of being destroyed or losing their historic quality through neglect. The selections were made by city residents.

The group repeatedly faulted the city for many of the problems.

Washington Times, May 15, 2008

KY: Kentucky's Historic Schools Initiative

2008-06-01T13:36:00.001-05:00

In January 2000, the National Trust for Historic Preservation initiated a nationwide study of historic school buildings in response to growing alarm over the rate of their demolition, deterioration, and abandonment. The initiative called attention to the unfortunate plight of some of the country’s most significant, well-built older public buildings. The Trust’s study was undertaken at the state level by State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) or nonprofit statewide organizations, and was meant to identify and understand the issues that affect historic school buildings.

Kentucky’s SHPO, the Kentucky Heritage Council, began this effort through development of several case studies. Historic schools at Temple Hill (Barren County), Nicholasville (Jessamine County), Sadieville and Georgetown (Scott County), and Bowling Green (Warren County) were examined in order to understand this multi-faceted issue. Although the study demonstrated that historic schools in Kentucky can and have been renovated, it became clear that Kentucky’s historic school buildings are underutilized and under imminent threat of demolition in favor of new school construction. This situation is unfortunate given that schools are among the most significant historic buildings in a community and have great potential for reuse, as schools, community centers, daycare centers, etc. (more).

SC: Former teachers, students have last look at building

2008-06-01T13:31:00.002-05:00

It was a bittersweet reunion for the staff and visitors at Woodfields Elementary on Friday, as former students, teachers and principals gathered to celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary and to pay homage to the building that will be demolished this summer.

Woodfields Elementary opened in 1958 with 16 classes and about 300 students in first through sixth grades. It had no paved parking lots or air conditioners.

Teachers used blackboards to teach all subjects -- including art and music -- within their classroom and without computers.

Over the past 50 years, Woodfields has grown in size -- adding classroom wings and portables, a physical education field, a fish pond and an additional playground -- and scope, now offering K4 and kindergarten classes, 28 classroom teachers and a full team of related arts teachers and coaches.

In light of the 50-year anniversary, some teachers talked about the rumor of a time capsule buried on the property.

“I’m almost certain it will be found when they start the construction,” P.E. teacher Wanda Tinsley said. “I’m extremely sad to see such a historic building torn down, but there’s still the memories people have. They can take the building, but they can’t take the memories.”

Greenwood Index-Journal
May 24, 2008

MA: Preservationists overcome hurdles to save history

2008-06-01T13:27:00.001-05:00

Five years ago, a day of celebration was held after restorations to the 1831 One-Room Schoolhouse were complete.

That day in 2003, however, was the last the schoolhouse officially opened its doors.

Now a group of interested citizens is hoping the town can make better use of the historic building at its new location.

With $35,000 in community preservation money approved by town meeting, the small building will be moved from the cemetery on Meetinghouse Road to the park across from town hall as soon as this week.

The South Mashpee School was built in 1831 at the corner of Great Neck Road South and Red Brook Road. It is one of three landmarks in town listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

It operated as a school until 1901, when it was purchased by the Young Peoples' Baptist Society and renamed the Ockway Chapel. Prominent figures from Mashpee's past, such as Blind Joe Amos and the Pequot Indian William Apes, were known to preach there.

In 1953, the building was bought by the Fields Manufacturing Co., and the New Seabury developers donated the schoolhouse to the town in 1975 as part of the town's bicentennial celebration.

Cape Code Times, May 25, 2008

TN: Old City Cemetery listed as most endangered site

2008-06-01T10:57:00.004-05:00

Since 2001, the Tennessee Preservation Trust has annually announced a list of Tennessee Most Endangered Historic Places” based on nominations received from the public. One of the “Ten in Tennessee” for 2008 is the Tipton-Rosemark Academy, Millington, Shelby County. The Rosemark School, built in 1912, is the centerpiece of the Rosemark community in northern Shelby County. It later became a private academy. The school has constructed a new high school and plans to demolish the historic structure as early as this June. Community activists and school alumni are seeking to save the structure for community use.

Links:
Save the Rosemark School Building

murfreesboropost.com

Save our old school

Memphis Commercial Appeal, May 30, 2008

Thirty-two days to raise $200,000.

That's the challenge facing alumni and neighbors who have a sentimental attachment to the 96-year-old school building at Tipton-Rosemark Academy.

Failure means the academy will demolish the Rosemark community landmark before classes resume in August.

"It's the face of Rosemark," Beth Mosley Lockhart (class of 1995), said of the two-story brick building.

The old-fashioned structure has high ceilings, tall windows and beautiful wood floors.

It also represents a shared experience for generations.

Molly McCalla Hampton attended Rosemark Elementary through eighth grade and her father, A.K. McCalla, graduated from Rosemark High in 1930.

"The building is the heart of Rosemark," she said.

Today in Nashville, Tennessee's preservationists raise the ante.

The Tennessee Preservation Trust will unveil its list of the 10 most endangered buildings.

The old Rosemark structure is expected to rank No. 2.

It was the public Rosemark School from 1912 to 1968. It became the private Tipton-Rosemark Academy in 1970.

ID: Washington School

2008-06-01T10:34:00.003-05:00

Constructed: Unknown
Demolished: Unknown
Address: Unknown

Caldwell is the county seat of Canyon County, Idaho, located on the western border of the state. The city boasts a Washington Elementary School and one wonders if that current school replaced the one in our picture. That's how it usually happens elsewhere....

Links:
Historic Caldwell
Caldwell School District
Wikipedia

WA: Vacant school in SeaTac gutted by fire

2008-06-01T09:29:00.002-05:00

Nine South King County fire agencies responded to a smoky four-alarm blaze at a boarded-up school around 5 p.m. Saturday.

Firefighters believe no one was inside abandoned Angle Lake Elementary at the time of the blaze, but can't say for sure because they retreated outside after fighting the fire inside for only 10 minutes.

"The situation was deemed unsafe because of the integrity of the building and how fast the fire was spreading," said Dave Nelson, spokesman for South King County Fire Zone 3.

The fire, which took more than an hour to knock down, destroyed about half of the old brick building, leaving a burned-out shell, Nelson said.

The 1928 structure is owned by the Port of Seattle, which bought it about two years ago for unspecified future airport projects, Port spokesman Perry Cooper said.

Surrounded by a chain-link fence and with plywood covering the windows, the building is listed on the State Register of Historic Places, said Cyndi Upthegrove, Highline Historical Society board member.

The Port, however, had set in motion plans to tear the building down, deeming it beyond rehabilitation. One of the original seven schools of the Highline School District, the building also served as SeaTac's first City Hall. It ceased to be a school in 1975.

Seattle Times staff

More coverage:
b-townblog.com

KY: Western Ky. county trying to save historic school

2008-05-31T15:50:00.001-05:00

The remnants of the Hickory Colored School has holes in the ceiling and cracks in the foundation.

The building looks like a relic of history, but Graves County Superintendent Brady Link sees something else. Link envisions a refurbished school that will educate students across the country about African-American education in the 1920s.

"This is more than just a Graves County project," Link said. "We're preserving part of the African-American community in Graves County. It will show how far we've come from how it used to be and how far we still have to go."

To help preserve the crumbling building, the school system on Friday accepted a $50,000 grant from Lowe's and the National Trust for Historic Preservation to restore the school and convert it into a museum and learning center.

Rob Duncan, manager of the Lowe's in Mayfield, said $1 million is being donated to restore 17 schools build by Julius Rosenwald in 10 states.

The Hickory School, built in 1925 for black students, was funded in part by Rosenwald, a former president of Sears, Roebuck & Co., who started a foundation to build schools for black students from 1917 to 1932.

By 1932, more than 5,300 Rosenwald school buildings, teachers' homes and vocational school buildings had been built in 15 states, mostly in the South. The schools are now on the National Trust for Preservation's list of the 11 most endangered buildings in the United States.

AP, May 4, 2008

KS: Sumner School Makes Endangered List

2008-05-31T15:41:00.001-05:00

Topeka's former Sumner Elementary School building, at 4th and Western, was named Tuesday as one of America's eleven most endangered historic places.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has issued the list for the past 20 years as a way to raise awareness of endangered landmarks. Amy Cole, a senior program manager with the Trust's Mountains Plains Office in Denver, says the buildings all help tell America's story.

Cole says Sumner caught their attention for its contributions to civil rights history. Sumner was one of USD 501's all-white schools at the center of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling desegregating public schools. The school closed in 1996 as part of the district's efforts to come into compliance with the ruling. Since then, it's remained vacant, save for a few stints hosting police training sessions. It's fallen into disrepair with peeling paint and water-logged ceiling tiles.

But the National Trust is optimistic. Cole says the building is in generally good condition. She says there is some water damage and graffiti and the windows are boarded up to prevent any additional damage.

Saving the building will take money. City officials say one estimate several years ago came in at $5 million for a complete renovation. City leaders hope a spot on the endangered list will spur donors to step up.

WIBW
May 20, 2008

NV: Historic downtown building ready to reopen

2008-05-31T15:38:00.001-05:00

After two years and almost $10 million worth of renovations and improvements, the historic Fifth Street School located in downtown Las Vegas is finally nearing completion. Renovations were needed when the school became a victim of neglect, overuse, and a two-alarm fire set by a homeless person last November that alone caused $250,000 in damages.

The 72-year-old Fifth Street School is scheduled to open in the fall and hopes to house approximately 30 students. The building will be used for the Nevada School of the Arts, the Downtown Design Center of UNLV's School of Architecture, and offices for the American Institute of Architects and the city's Cultural Affairs Division.

The school was originally built in 1936 when Las Vegas Boulevard was still called Fifth Street. Since the 1960s it has been used as a Clark County courthouse annex, a Las Vegas police substation, city offices, and University of Nevada, Las Vegas classrooms. The building was added to the Historic Register in 1988.

KVBC
May 30, 2008

MN: Normal School on endangered list

2008-05-31T15:27:00.002-05:00

The former Mantorville Normal School, adjacent to the K-M Intermediate School, is one of 10 diverse sites named to the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota's 2008 list of the Most Endangered Historic Places.

The 10 most endangered program is designed to spotlight historic places that face imminent danger through demolition, neglect, severe alteration or inappropriate public policy. Through this program the Alliance seeks favorable outcomes that can be achieved through a preservation approach. Of the 122 places listed over the life of this program, two-thirds have been saved in part due to the awareness generated by the listing.

The limestone building was constructed in the late nineteenth century and housed a teacher training school beginning in 1912. The most notable historic feature of the building is the stone masonry pattern and narrow tri-stacked blocks.

Dodge County Independent

SD: Questions loom about school building's future

2008-05-31T15:13:00.002-05:00

After Baltic’s recent election, voters decided that the City Council and school district will be allowed to hold negotions on the transfer of ownership of the old elementary school building that has sat empty for two years.

Now Baltic Board of Education Dave Haagenson hopes the city will decide within a month whether they will accept the school district’s offer to give them the building for free.

“We don't want this dragging on through another fall and winter, we want to get the place generating some income,” Haagenson said.

The tally was 107 votes in favor and 33 against.

Supporters of the school’s conversion say it could be used as a community center and be leased to businesses that have snown an interest in the available space. Among the businesses interested are a day care, hair salon and thrift shop. The Baltic Historical Society also wants to put a museum in the building.

by Elizabeth Gorder
Argus Leader
May 30, 2008

OR: District selling part of old school site

2008-05-31T15:07:00.002-05:00

The Tigard-Tualatin School District has agreed to sell 3.7 acres of the old Tualatin Elementary School site for $1.1 million to Milwaukie-based Marquis Companies for senior housing.

Last summer, it appeared the district was poised to sell all of the 12.75-acre site on Southwest Boones Ferry Road for more than $6 million to Marquis Companies and Matrix Development Corp., a Tigard-based residential developer, working together.

But the two companies parted ways on the project, said Rob Saxton, the district's superintendent. So the district is moving ahead with selling part of the site to Marquis.

Saxton said the sale reached with Marquis amounts to $300,000 an acre.

The sale includes the former school building, which the district stopped using years ago because it required costly structural upgrades.

by Maya Blackun
The Oregonian
May 29, 2008

CO: Saving the past for the future

2008-05-31T15:03:00.002-05:00

Since the plan to demolish the historic Louisville Middle School (LMS) was unveiled last September the Louisville community-- and the larger community beyond -- has expressed shock and urged the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) to somehow address their concerns.

For eight months, in spite of the community's strong and vocal urging, the district was unable to develop one concept, one design idea, or one change to the proposed design that would mitigate the enormous impact a wholesale demolition would have on Old Town Louisville and the loss of an important landmark building. Sadly, the district spent a significant amount of time over the last eight months defending its position and driving a wedge between the district and the community rather than striving to build coalitions and include the public in decisions regarding this public school.

by Peter Stewart, an architect (who's practice includes historic preservation projects) and neighbor of Louisville Middle School.
from the Boulder, Colorado Daily Camera.
May 31, 2008

TN: Knox Heritage names most endangered historic places

2008-05-31T14:58:00.002-05:00

Every May during National Preservation Month, Knox Heritage releases its list of the most endangered historic buildings and places in order to educate the public and local leaders about the plight of significant historic resources. Often, the endangered buildings and places are representative of issues that endanger similar parts of our heritage across the community.

Part of this year's Fragile 15 - as described by Knox Heritage - are:

South High School - South High was designed by noted local architect Charles Barber and was built in 1935-1936 as South Knoxville Junior High School. The school opened in 1937. Barber was the primary architect of 14 schools in Knoxville and Knox County prior to 1940. It served as a junior high school and a high school until the last graduating class in 1976. Preservationists and residents of South Knoxville began their efforts to save historic South High in 2002.

Brownlow Elementary School - Brownlow was built in 1913 and enlarged in 1926. The school was named for Colonel John Bell Brownlow, who was one of the developers of the neighborhoods surrounding the school. The Neo-classical style building was one of the first model elementary schools built in Knox County. Several years after the school closed Knox County made the school available for redevelopment through a request for proposals, but the chosen developer was unable to complete restoration in a timely manner. The property's new owner announced a planned condominium development and the conversion to a residential use has begun. The building still stands vacant but we are hopeful this will be the year the neighborhood landmark is filled with life and restored to its former beauty.

Oakwood Elementary School - This Oakwood neighborhood icon is currently owned by the Knox County School System and is used for storage. The later addition is occupied by the Teacher Supply Depot. The Knox County School System has moved most of its activities out of the building and has discussed plans to sell it for private development. Due to the rapid deterioration of the building, Knox Heritage calls upon the School Board to act immediately to either make necessary repairs to the historic portion of the building or put the building out to bid for private development. Time is rapidly running out for Oakwood School due to the school system's neglect and the resulting water damage occurring in the building.

from WBIR

KS: Douglass Jr. High will be last building sold in series

2008-05-31T14:50:00.002-05:00

Hey - it's old school action figures!

Downtown Parsons Inc. has released the last building in its Itsy Bitsy Building series -- Douglass Junior High School.

"We did it in honor of the Black Homecoming that starts the 28th of June," said Downtown Parsons director Jane Wilson. "We will release it now, but we will have it for sale at the Black Homecoming."

Wilson said Downtown Parsons struggled to find historical information on the school to provide to the company that makes the miniature replicas.

"It was hard to find a picture," Wilson said. "The (Parsons) historical museum was gracious enough to help there."

Two pictures of the building that had been published in the Parsons Sun were available, along with another photograph, and former student Quinzetta Brown provided a drawing and historical information that she had compiled.

Construction of Douglass was completed in 1908.The school opened its doors in September of that year to 75 students.

The school started as an eight-grade elementary school. However, in 1940 it became a six-year elementary school and four-year junior high.

In 1942, Douglass became the first and only four-year separate junior high school in Kansas.

The Douglass school was closed in 1958 and later razed and buried.

From the Parsons Sun
May 30, 2008

IN: Culver school renovation, building top issues

2008-05-31T14:44:00.003-05:00

Renovation of the Culver Elementary School gymnasium and use of the old Administration Building were the main topics on the Culver Community school board agenda. Martin Truesdell, Greg Saal, and Woody Holm of Stair & Associates, Indianapolis, presented costs and plans for the major overhaul of the historic gym that could be done in phases.

Another problem is the differing architectural styles incorporated in the elementary school. Keeping the historic look of the old gym and blending it to the unusual facade of the multi-media center and the architectural details of the renovated class room area will be a challenge, Truesdell told the board.

By Bobbie Washburn Ruhnow
Pilot News
May 29, 2008

IL: Remembering Coultrap Elementary School

2008-05-31T10:25:00.001-05:00

May 29, 2008 marks the last full day of the school year for students at Coultrap Elementary School. Tomorrow is a half day, and after the students have spent their morning saying goodbye to their classmates and to their teachers, they will also say goodbye to their school building. In August, when they return, it will be to a brand new building located a little more than a mile west of this site (more).

IN: IPS School 37 closes after 81 years

2008-05-31T10:22:00.002-05:00

It's been 114 years since School 37 started holding classes on the Eastside and 81 years of year-end goodbyes in the current building on 25th Street.

But Wednesday, when teachers lined up outside to wave farewell to buses, they marked an end to an era at the school, which closed its doors for good when Indianapolis Public Schools released students for the summer.

Eight IPS schools will close this year. Superintendent Eugene White has said they could reopen if enrollment were to increase.

For the community near School 37, the day represented a piece of history closing after decades of being a rallying point. The district has said the campus will continue to be used for community activities, by the nearby juvenile court and for IPS offices.

"It was the major backbone of the community. I still think it has an integral part in our community," said Bernard C. McFarland, a School 37 alumnus who works for the district. "I'm sad to see it close, but I also trust Dr. White's vision and plans for the district."

By Andy Gammill
Indianapolis Star
May 29, 2008

IL: Mt. Prospect school on the move

2008-05-31T10:19:00.000-05:00

Standing amid hundreds of Mt. Prospect residents, a group of 2nd graders on Wednesday chanted, "Move that school!"—a slogan that captured the mood as the 112-year-old schoolhouse started another historic journey.

Propped on wheels and steel beams with a truck pulling it, Central School rolled down North Main Street on a half-mile journey that ended near its new home next to the Mt. Prospect Historical Society museum.

"We have been working on this for about seven years," said Deb Rittle, 39, a member of the society's board of directors as she choked up. "To just see it happen is awesome."

Sponsored by the historical society, the move follows six years of fundraising. Requests for support were mailed to each of the northwest suburban community's 24,000 residences.

By Kristen Kridel
Chicago Tribune
May 28, 2008

VA: Arcola school recognized as endangered historic site

2008-05-31T10:17:00.000-05:00

The Arcola School, the old location of the Arcola Community Center on Gum Spring Road, has been placed on a list of endangered historic sites in Virginia.

Some residents of Dulles South are hoping the property's new designation by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities will aid in their fight to preserve the building and renovate it into a new Arcola Community Center.

"We wanted something that would make [the county] think twice about tearing it down," said Laura TeKrony, a resident of Aldie and member of the Arcola Community Center Advisory Committee. "I'm hoping they don't."

The school has a rich history. Built in 1939 as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, it was the first multi-room public school in Loudoun County and remained an active school until 1972. From 1977 until early 2006, the building served as the county’s first community center.

Now, the county has plans to demolish the building and build a government center there.

TeKrony and other members of the advisory committee are working toward putting in an application to the Board of Supervisors to ensure that won't happen.

By Elizabeth Coe
Loudoun Times-Mirror
May 28, 2008

PA: Former students, neighbors reflect on old Smith School

2008-05-31T08:52:00.001-05:00

Mary Garner has fond memories of her days as a student at William Smith School.

As she looks at the now-dilapidated building from her front porch, Garner recalls meeting the principal, playing games outside and running home for lunch.

But Garner’s memories — and a souvenir brick — will be all that’s left after demolition crews finish razing the 130-year-old structure this week to make way for a Huntingdon Community Center.

Many former students and neighbors, like Garner, have strong opinions on the matter.

‘‘I’m ashamed [the borough] let it get this bad that they had to tear it down,’’ said Garner, 67. ‘‘They could have kept it as a historical site. I’m proud I went to that school.’’

The two-story building, which contained asbestos and other hazardous materials, closed for good in the early ’90s and fell into disrepair in the years since.

Historical parts of the building, from chalkboards to the school bell, have been saved and will go to area residents or on public display.

By Cori Bolger
Altoona Mirror
May 28, 2008

IL: Historic Mt. Prospect school set to move this week

2008-05-31T08:49:00.001-05:00

After six years of trying to move the historic Central School to a safe location, the Mount Prospect Historical Society is scheduled to move the 1896 schoolhouse a little after 10 a.m. today.

The white, one-room building, already has been jacked up and moved from its home at the corner of Wille and Thayer streets out onto Thayer. Today, it will be transported about half a mile down Main Street to its new home next door to the Mount Prospect Historical Society, a process expected to take an hour or so.

The historical society, an independent nonprofit organization, has been fundraising to save this building since 2002.

The cost of moving the school, including constructing a new foundation and relocating utilities, will be about $250,000, he said. About that same amount will be required to renovate the building, so the society will keep on raising funds, he said.

Mount Prospect's first school, Central School, a vintage Italianate building, was listed on Landmarks Illinois' Chicagoland Watch List for 2007-08 and was in danger of being demolished if it was not moved.

The building has had many transformations in the past 112 years.

It was the first home of the Mount Prospect Public Library, Mount Prospect Elementary District 57 (it was the first school in Illinois to cross township lines, with one foot in Elk Grove and another in Wheeling), the fire department, three local churches (St. John's, St. Paul Lutheran and South), the women's club and even the first movie screen.

Also, the letters or incorporation, legally forming the Village of Mount Prospect, were signed inside this building in 1917.

By Sue Ter Maat
Daily Herald Staff
May 27, 2008

PA: Group to offer ideas for use of school

2008-05-31T08:37:00.001-05:00

A group of architects and historical preservationists are taking a fresh look at possible uses for an old school building.

Preservation Pennsylvania, a Harrisburg-based nonprofit dedicated to saving historic buildings, will conduct an in-depth study of how Erie's Roosevelt Middle School could be renovated.

The study, called a charrette, will bring together three architects along with preservationists and other interested community members for a daylong brainstorming session and tour of the closed Cranberry Street school on Friday.

Preservation Pennsylvania is conducting the charrette at no cost to the Erie School District.

"This is just a chance to let the community and those interested in the school district's plans (for Roosevelt) to come together and have an open dialogue about the possibilities," said Melinda Higgins Crawford, executive director of the nonprofit.

An ongoing debate over whether to rebuild or renovate the 84-year-old school intensified after the district closed Roosevelt at the end of the 2006-07 school year because of its deteriorating condition.

By Erica Erwin
Erie Times-News staff
May 27, 2008

PA: Ringtown Elementary to close

2008-05-31T08:20:00.002-05:00

There will be another vacant elementary school in the North Schuylkill School District after school board members decided Thursday to send Ringtown Elementary students to North Schuylkill Elementary.

Parents in the close-knit community are worried about class size and the amount of bus travel involved in sending students to class outside their hometown.

The decision to vacate the school came during a special meeting Thursday after the school board rescinded a motion made in 2004 that banned such a move.

Nesvold said he could not say what would happen to the Ringtown building.

“No decision has been made, but it could be used as a community center or emergency classroom space if needed,” Nesvold said.

The 57,000-square-foot Ashland Elementary building and 20 acres in Butler Township was sold at auction Dec. 8 to the Mennonite Messianic Mission of the Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church, Ephrata, for $550,000. The building will be used as a church school.

Frackville Elementary was transferred to the Borough of Frackville for $1. The building is now used as the borough hall and community center.

by Leslie Richardson
Republican Herald staff

IA: Seeking information on the Glick School

2008-05-31T08:11:00.001-05:00

From the Marshalltown Times-Republican:

My name is Dennis Ellison and I grew up in Marshalltown, Iowa, and moved away about 15 years ago.

I am an amateur historian doing research on Glick Elementary School and would appreciate any help from former teachers, staff or students who may wish to contribute their personal stories or allow me to review any material (old newspapers, newsletters, Glick memorabilia, etc.) they may have.

If any reader would like to contact me with their information, feel free to e-mail me at oldglickstudent@yahoo.com or write to me at Dennis Ellison, P.O. Box 5144, Morton, IL 61550. If the person who collected bricks from the demolition site would also contact me, I would appreciate it.

It was a shame to see the old school building destroyed, and its memory should be preserved.

HI: Wahiawa Elementary to celebrate centennial

2008-05-23T14:55:00.001-05:00

Wahiawa Elementary School will hold a centennial celebration today.

The formal program and student performances are scheduled for 8:30 to 10 a.m..

Tours of the school are slated for 10 a.m. through noon.

Among the dignitaries who plan to attend the event are Gov. Linda Lingle, Hawaii Chief Justice Ronald Moon who is an alumnus, former Gov. George Ariyoshi and his wife Jean who is also an alumnus, and most area legislators.

Lingle is scheduled to arrive at the event about 9:30 a.m.

Honolulu Advertiser
May 23, 2008

MI - Bath School Disaster Anniversary

2008-05-18T13:11:00.001-05:00

May 18 is the anniversary of the Bath School disaster which killed 45 people, mostly children in the second to sixth grades. Disgruntled school board member Andrew Kehoe dynamited the building out of revenge over his foreclosed farm due in part to the taxes required to pay for the new school.

Links:
The Bath School Disaster

PA: Setting the stage for grand return

2007-09-26T16:44:00.000-05:00

A fund drive to restore the auditorium of a historic school building to its original grandeur – on par with theaters in New York City – is expected to begin in the next few weeks.

The Hazleton Area School Board and Hazleton area community members want to see the auditorium of the former Hazleton High School returned to its former state.

“It was absolutely grand,” said Harvey Houser, past president of the Greater Hazleton Concert Series. “There were glass skylights, brass lanterns on the walls. The ambience was absolutely great. It was grand decor for what you would call an ordinary high school,”

The concert series – formerly the Hazleton Community Concert Association – regularly used the auditorium as a venue before the school closed in the mid-1990s.

When the student population in the district began to steadily climb a few years ago, the school board voted to renovate the 80-year-old edifice, known locally as the “Castle on the Hill.”

-=-

by Steve Mocarsky
Times Leader

WA: Islanders rally to save the old VES gym

2007-09-26T15:46:00.000-05:00

Several dozen roller skates lie on shelves at the old Vashon Elementary School’s indoor gym, some near their partner, others alone. They haven’t been worn in almost three years.

The uneven and worn wooden floor, once light but now a chocolaty brown, hasn’t hosted an Island event since the school district determined the building was too dangerous for public use in 2005. The gym’s windows are boarded up, its water is shut off, and dust bunnies collect at every corner of the 50-foot by 70-foot space just north of town on Vashon Highway.

Neither the parks nor the school district have done much to maintain the building since, and officials said it is up to the community whether the gym sees 100 years or succumbs to the wrecking ball as other school facilities on Vashon recently have.

Estimates to make the building safe have ranged in the last two years from $111,000 to $600,000.

Generations of Islanders spent rainy days in the building; others have used it for everything from roller skating to ping-pong to performing arts rehearsals. As a result, some want to preserve what is now one of the last historic educational facilities left on Vashon. They hope to get the gym designated a historic landmark, a move that likely would save it from destruction.

Others see it as an eyesore and its restoration an unwise usage of funds. And some youth sports enthusiasts would like to see the building demolished and the area turned into a spread of diamonds and fields, helping to ease a shortage of playfields on the Island.

-=-
by Amelia Heagerty
Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber

MS: Tipsters of arson split reward sum

2007-09-26T15:37:00.000-05:00

Three Hattiesburg residents who provided information on the arson fire at the historic Hattiesburg High School split a $12,500 pot, representatives of the Metro Crime Stoppers organization said Monday.

They could not disclose the names of the tipsters - who are allowed to report information anonymously. But Crime Stoppers board chairman Leighton Lewis said the money was divided equally among the three. "The fire marshals said each one played a key role in leading to this arrest," Lewis said.

The high school fire united the community for a common cause and inspired the area's business and civic groups to offer a combined $12,500 reward.

"I didn't realize how much this building meant to everybody until this fire," Crime Stoppers coordinator Diane James said. "This tragedy helped unite the community."

Crime Stoppers' initial $1,000 reward was followed in short order by $1,000 from Lawson Overhead Doors in Laurel and $5,000 from Chain Electric Co.

Other groups, including the Historic Hattiesburg Downtown Association, the International Fire Fighters Association Local 184 and Benevolent Order of Firefighters, anonymous donors in the Hattiesburg Historic Neighborhood Association and Historic North Main Street Neighborhood Association responded by adding the remaining $5,500.

-=-

by Reuben Mees
Hattiesburg American

OH: Harvey One Room Schoolhouse Open House

2007-09-26T15:32:00.000-05:00

The Harvey One Room Schoolhouse will have an open house on September 30, 2007 from 2:00 to 5:00 PM. Some of the planned events include:

Souvenir items will be for sale.
Old fashion games will be played such as Red Rover, hopscotch, penciltuck, marbles and more!
Cat’s Cradle Storytelling by Carolyn Sand at 3:00pm.
(Free) Crafts for kids to make and take home
Old fashion ice cream, popcorn, and snacks available for sale.
Horse and Buggy rides for $1.00/person
Music and Organ Grinder demonstrations

TX: Absence of Goodman Elementary: a conspiracy?

2007-09-26T15:27:00.000-05:00

Not historical, per say, but perhaps hysterical – or is it? You decide.

-=-

Since his first discovery four years ago that Lula Goodman Elementary School was not listed in Verizon Yellow Pages distributed in the east side of Fort Bend County, Fresno resident Rodrigo Carreon has been diligently checking the phone book for the campus' listing every spring after it was delivered to his door.

And he has been disappointed every year.

He has repeatedly brought the issue to the school board and district administrators and been equally frustrated at not getting an answer.

During a break in a recent district town hall meeting, Rodrigo approached me with the April 2007 edition of the phone book.

"For at least four years, they haven't listed Goodman in the Yellow Pages," he said, leafing through the pages and stopping at the blue page under the public school heading.

The alphabetic school listing has Glover Elementary immediately ensued by Highlands Elementary without Goodman in between.

"I think they did it on purpose because this is a minority area. Something is not going right, amigo," Rodrigo looked at me seriously.

Well, for an allegation of that nature, I needed to investigate. I approached district Chief Communications Officer Mary Ann Simpson.

"Zen, it's not a strange issue to us. We don't know why but we've been trying to find out about it," Mary Ann said. "Give Karen a call and she'll tell you about what she's done."

Karen Fontenot, an assistant to Mary Ann, told me last Friday that she had tried to contact Verizon since September 2006 about the issue.

"I have a long list of 1-800 numbers that I have called to no avail. I was always being routed and rerouted from one department to another and from one person to another," Fontenot said. "You just had to talk to enough people to get to the right person. But apparently I've not been able get to the right person yet and it's been a year now."

What do you think may have caused Goodman Elementary to be left out of Verizon Yellow Pages? Do you agree with the conspiracy theory? Have you found any other district campuses not listed in any phone books?

-=-

by Zen T.C. Zheng
Houston Chronicle

OH: Wolcott House opens relocated 1-room school

2007-09-25T18:53:00.000-05:00

When Dylan Logan stepped into the sparsely furnished one-room schoolhouse, he said in understated fashion that it didn't look much like his kindergarten classroom.

"We don't have feathers on our desk," said the 6-year-old from Maumee, one of about 150 people who attended the dedication of the Box Schoolhouse, the latest addition to the Wolcott House Museum Complex along River Road in Maumee.

With its old-fashioned stove, wood benches, and desks stocked with McGuffey's Readers, handmade clay inkwells, and quills made from bird feathers, it looked more like an antique shop than a classroom to some younger guests.

Believed to have been built before the Civil War, the schoolhouse originally was located on the farm of Jacob Box in Lucas County's Providence Township. Several generations of children learned reading, writing, and arithmetic in the school until it closed in 1918.

-=-
by Janet Romaker
Toledo Blade

CT: Historic schoolhouse celebrate

2007-09-25T18:49:00.000-05:00

In an era when whites were reluctant to educate blacks, an architectural gem built with private money did just that. The history of the 19th century brick building on Goffe Street remains unknown to many residents, although the school’s significant role in education, freedom and empowerment earned the structure a place on the National Register of Historic Places.

"There are a lot of people who don’t realize this building was here," said Ann Garrett Robinson, founding curator of the Little Red Brick Schoolhouse Museum. Robinson, and two dozen founders, contributors and volunteers, celebrated the 10th anniversary of the museum Monday night. Robinson dispensed onyx elephants, paper flowers and other gifts to the many who helped create the museum.

The single room remains from the days when the whole building was a school for black students.

The exhibit presents the history of urban education in New Haven and Connecticut.

-=-

by Abram Katz
New Haven Register

TN: 12 Sites added to National Register of Historic Places

2007-09-25T18:42:00.000-05:00

The Tennessee Historical Commission has announced 12 Tennessee sites have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. Among the sites are three schools:

Montgomery High School – Montgomery High School and its adjacent gymnasium and football field are an important part of the African-American heritage of Lexington (Henderson County). Completed in 1950, the school served the city’s black population and that of the surrounding counties. As a regional school, it had far more resources than smaller African-American high schools and gained a wide reputation. In addition to academics, community events were also held at the complex. The building was used as a school until 1967 when it closed as part of the integration process.

Triangle School – The Triangle School was built in 1938 by local carpenters in the rural community of Fairview. The frame, weatherboard school building was built as part of Williamson County’s efforts to consolidate many of the area’s one-room schoolhouses. Like many rural schools, the building was also used for community events, agricultural extension agents, and political rallies. A moveable partition divided the front room into two classrooms, or it could be opened for larger events. Smaller rooms were situated at the back of the building.

Pocahontas School - Located in the community of Pocahontas (Hardeman County), the school was built in 1924 and expanded in 1957. It was the main elementary school for the community and served in this capacity for more than forty years until it closed in 1967 as part of school consolidation. In addition to being used for classes, Pocahontas School was used for community events. The style of the schoolhouse is a good example of a Craftsman-influenced design.

For more information visit the National Register of Historic Places or the Tennessee Historical Commission.

MA: Workshop to seek public input on Kelley School disposal

2007-09-25T18:37:00.000-05:00

The future of the Kelley School building is still up in the air three months after it was closed, though the mayor hopes to keep the property in city hands.

On Thursday, as part of the Kelley School Re-Use Committee meeting, the mayor will hold a public workshop to assist the city in creating goals and objectives for how to evaluate proposals for the building as they come in. Though a final decision will not be made at the meeting, the mayor's office is urging the public to attend with ideas that can be used to make recommendations to the City Council.

The 135-year-old Kelley School on High Street was closed last June as part of a reconfiguration to close a $1.6 million budget deficit. Kelley students moved to Bresnahan Elementary School, the new Edward Molin Upper Elementary School or Nock Middle School. Brown School students moved to the Bresnahan School or the new Upper Elementary School.

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By Katie Curley
Daily News of Newburyport

More: http://portmedia.org/d2/node/10

IA: Communities work to preserve one-room schools

2007-09-25T18:33:00.000-05:00

Old school is new school, at least when it comes to preserving Iowa's history. No less than 80 of Iowa's 99 counties have at least one old one-room school that's been turned into a museum. And interest continues to grow.

On October 5 and 6, folks who have a penchant for preservation planned to converge on Coralville for the Iowa Historical Preservation Alliance's "The Future of Country School Preservation & Programming" conference.

That's the story behind the 1876 Coralville Schoolhouse Museum, which will be visited by conference attendees. Built in 1876, the brick school housed students until 1948, when Coralville Central opened. It re-opened in 1951-52 while an addition was built onto the new school. It fell into disrepair as storage and a teen center until the historical society signed a long-term lease in the 1970s. Work continues to this day, with landscaping by master gardeners and the proposed addition of a park between the school and new parking lot.

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Information from: The Gazette

MA: Franklin challenges Croydon's claim on oldest schoolhouse

2007-09-25T18:29:00.000-05:00

Every year since 1780, a single room inside a red brick schoolhouse has provided a small New Hampshire town's students with a place to sit for their lessons.

Given that record and backed by local research, the residents of Croydon, N.H., consider themselves to be in possession of New England's oldest one-room brick school in continuous use, an unofficial designation they commemorated with postcards several years ago but have not further trumpeted.

If a sanctioning body existed to validate their claim, however, it might have to mark the record with an asterisk or bump the school into another category.

That's the response at least from supporters of the Red Brick School in Franklin, where residents have long claimed the 19th-century building is not only the longest operating red brick schoolhouse in New England, but the oldest in the entire country.

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By Michael Morton
Milford Daily News

MA: Community preservation funds eyed for Highlands School

2007-09-25T18:20:00.000-05:00

School officials are proposing to use $626,000 in community preservation funds to pay for upgrades at the Highlands School.

Superintendent of Schools Peter Kurzberg told the school committee on Sept. 10 that the school department has filed an application with the town’s Community Preservation Committee. According to Kurzberg’s letter to Community Preservation Fund Committee Chairman Kevin Wynn, the funds would address needed repairs to both the exterior and interior of the school, similar to the work performed at the Hollis School a couple of years ago.

Under the Community Preservation Act (CPA), funds can be allocated to renovate and preserve the historical character of a building.

The original portion of the Highlands School was built in 1930 and holds “both historical and cultural value to the town,” according to the school department’s CPA application.

School officials are proposing a number of upgrades to the exterior, including painting trim, cleaning masonry, re-pointing bricks, replacing some of the slate roof shingles, restoring front entrance lights, and repairing gutters and downspouts.

On the inside, officials want to install an elevator and repair and paint the gym’s exterior walls.

By Tom Gorman
GateHouse News Service

VT: Making the grade

2007-09-25T05:17:00.000-05:00

It only took Fair Haven Grade School three months to bring a 1916 building into a more energy-efficient 21st century.

Voters approved a $1.8 million bond in November 2006 to fund a change in ventilation, lighting, heating, water use and handicap accessibility at the school. The energy-efficient changes had to be done while preserving the original portion of the school that is on the National Historic Register.

The final touches are still being finished on the project that took two years to prepare and a summer to execute. All the research and preparation were worth it, Cooke said. Officials predicted the start of school may be delayed, by as much as three weeks, but doors opened on time.

Lighting throughout the 1916 portion of the building has been replaced with energy-efficient models. Hallway lights bear the look of the early 20th century but are lit with efficient bulbs.

A number of classrooms now have sensors that work with outside lighting to allow for proper illumination. If it is a sunny day, the lights inside will dim. The lights are also automatically controlled to turn off after a room is vacant for a certain amount of time. They are triggered by a motion sensor.

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by Sarah Hinckley
Rutland Herald

WI: Future of Little Red Elementary School

2007-09-25T05:12:00.000-05:00

The clock is ticking for an Eau Claire elementary school. On Monday the people who will weigh the pros and cons of Little Red Elementary School started talking about the building's future.

The Little Red committee is made up of community and school board members. They will make a recommendation on the future of the school and take it to the school board in January.

Last May, the district decided to keep the building open for at least one year. Monday night the committee talked about boundary changes that haven't been made for six years and when it should have a public hearing. That could come in mid-December.

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weau.com

MD: Oakwood Elementary School celebrates 50 years of education

2007-09-25T05:03:00.000-05:00

Oakwood Elementary School [Glen Burnie, Maryland] is celebrating its 50th birthday next week with a week-long celebration at the school, 220 Oak Manor Drive. Members of the school community will dress like students from previous decades. The celebration will culminate with a school-wide assembly at 1 p.m. Friday. An oak tree will be planted and dedicated.

Former students and friends are invited to attend Friday's assembly. Advance registration is requested.

In addition, orders are being accepted for a commemorative Cat's Meow wooden replica of the school. The cost is $15, which includes sales tax. To order the wooden school replica, mail a check for $15 made payable to Oakwood Elementary School with your name, address and phone number to the school at 330 Oak Manor Drive, Glen Burnie, MD 21061, attention Kathy Long.

Oakwood Elementary School was originally named Lehigh Elementary and was built to serve handicapped students in the county.

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by Kathleen Shatt
Maryland Gazette

IN: James Dean's high school remains in ruins

2007-09-23T18:12:00.000-05:00

Some great inside-and-out pictures from the [Marion, IN] Chronicle-Tribune of this building, built in 1898. Text by AJ Colley.

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Ray Willey said raising money to restore Fairmount High School has been a long process. Willey, president of The Fairmount Foundation, said the nonprofit organization needs to raise $1.3 million to begin renovating the historic building where James Dean began acting.

The organization has raised more than $1 million, but originally had set a goal of $6 million.

In 2002, the high school made the list of 10 Most Endangered Landmarks named by the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. It has since been removed from the list.

Mark Dollase, vice president of the foundation, said the school was dropped from the list because the foundation felt they'd generated enough public awareness.

AR: Little Rock Nine Fiftieth Anniversary

2007-09-23T18:06:00.000-05:00

On September 23, 1957, nine black high school students faced an angry mob of over 1,000 whites protesting integration in front of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Now, in September 2007, Little Rock Central High School National commemorates the 50th anniversary of the desegregation.

For more:
Little Rock Central High School
National Park Service
Associated Press search

PA: Bullskin's one-room schoolhouse students reunited

2007-09-23T06:20:00.000-05:00

Laverne Sultzer and her classmates will be attending a class reunion today, but it won't be their graduating class.

Instead, about 40 to 60 people will gather to celebrate their attendance at one of nearly 20 one-room schoolhouses in the Bullskin Township area in the 1930s and 1940s.

Sultzer said that while each group from each schoolhouse once held individual school reunions, dwindling turnouts indicated a need for combined reunions.

Breakneck School, located along the new Breakneck Road, is used today as the social hall of Breakneck Church.

By Rachel Basinger
Daily Courier

IA: Renovated schoolhouse takes area students back into history

2007-09-23T06:14:00.000-05:00

Three fourth grade classes from East Marshall [Marshall County, Iowa] went back in time and experienced a day in the life of rural Marshalltown children at the Taylor No. 4 Country School.

A $60,000 renovation more than a year in the making transformed the one-room schoolhouse to its former glory. In 1955, 43 years after the building was built, it was bought at an auction and donated to the Central Iowa Fairgrounds. It found its current site in 1964 when the Historical Society of Marshall County took possession of it.

They fetched a pail of water for hand-washing. They used quills dipped in ink and used every part of what little paper they had. They learned how red rover used to be played, and how to play button, button. They ate only cheese or jelly sandwiches, cornbread wrapped in wax paper, hard-boiled eggs and native fruits and vegetables like carrots and apples. And they helped those pretending to be younger. No children got the whip and none of the teachers vowed never to marry, but at least one class returned to Laurel still using the old hand signals — one finger to ask for a drink of water, two fingers to get permission to use the outhouse.

by Ryan Brinks
Times-Republican

TN: 1938 Fairview school on historic register

2007-09-23T06:04:00.000-05:00

The old Triangle School in Fairview [Tennessee] has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was placed on the registry last month, but the Tennessee Historical Commission announced the distinction on Friday.

In 1938, local carpenters built the small school building, and they did their job well — few buildings like it remain in this part of Middle Tennessee.

According to a release issued by the state, the Triangle School "was built as part of Williamson County's efforts to consolidate many of the area's one-room schoolhouses. Like many rural schools, the building was also used for community events, agricultural extension agents and political rallies."

by Charles Booth
Tennessean

OH: Budding dispute between Elyria Schools, Landmarks Commission

2007-09-23T05:57:00.000-05:00

Elyria [Ohio] School District officials say they’re gearing up for a battle with city preservationists who want to monitor the restoration of Elyria High’s Washington Building, built in 1894, that the district says could result in costly delays for the new $68 million Elyria High School.

Preservationists, however, say school officials’ fears are baseless, and the district is simply trying to circumvent the checks and balances for the protected West Avenue Historic District, an area where the current high school sits and the new one will be built.

by Shawn Foucher
Chronicle-Telegram

For more information: aNewElyriaHigh.org

OH: Preserving Historic School Buildings

2007-09-22T18:41:00.000-05:00

Many Ohio communities treasure their historic school buildings as centers for neighborhood or community activity, symbols of civic pride, and often as local architectural landmarks. At the same time, communities face the challenge of ensuring that older school buildings meet the needs of today’s students and teachers. Meeting the challenge requires good planning, knowledge of preservation tools, and, at times, creative design solutions.

Martha J. Raymond, Technical Preservation Services Department Head, and Barbara A. Powers, Planning, Inventory, and Registration Department Head, Ohio Historic Preservation Office have prepared some ideas to help communities plan for the long-term preservation of historic school buildings, for continued school use, or adapted for new uses.

Includes case studies and pictures of various Ohio schools.

IL: Some memorabilia is saved from fire at old schoolhouse

2007-09-22T15:04:00.000-05:00

An early-morning fire Friday destroyed a historic one-room schoolhouse in rural Hamel, but not all of the building's history was lost. The fire started about midnight, said Jeff Helle, who lives down the road from the schoolhouse on Quercus Grove Road in Madison County.

The Quercus Grove Rural Club owns the 70-year-old school. Club member Ted Frisbie, a retired professor of anthropology at Southern Illinois University, learned of the fire about two hours after it started. By the time he made it to the scene, a firefighter emerged from the burning building carrying what looked like a pile of rags but was actually something more precious.

Firefighters saved four embroideries. One showed the old schoolhouse and the schoolhouses that had preceded it, including a log cabin where students in the mid-1800s had attended class. Another showed the oldest homes in Hamel.

The schoolhouse was built in 1937 and operated until the early 1950s, when the hamlet became a part of the Edwardsville school district. The county took over ownership of the school until the Rural Club bought it in the early 1970s.

MA: Tour explores historic Worcester schools

2007-09-22T14:56:00.000-05:00

A tour of historic Worcester schools will take visitors through 10 architecturally rich buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries as well as the new Worcester Technical High School, a marvel of modern school design. Called “Back to School,” the Sept. 29 tour is presented by Preservation Worcester and the Worcester Educational Development Foundation. Some of the buildings are still functioning as schools while others have been put to new uses, including offices and condominiums. Five condos in three school buildings will be open so people can see how homeowners decorate private space in the once-public buildings.

“It’s really interesting because two of the older buildings — the Adams Street School and Dartmouth Street School — are being renovated for condominiums,” Deborah Packard, executive director of Preservation Worcester, said. “So from our point of view we were looking at old schools that are still functioning schools and then at what can be done with old schools. We have older schools that are used for a number of different purposes now.”

The tour of historic schools will give an overview of school construction in Worcester from the 1850 Ash Street School to the 2006 Worcester Technical High School, according Dick Bedard, a retired school plant manager and member of the “Back to School” tour committee.

The architecture of the buildings depicts the changes in construction during that period and the building layouts reflect the changes in educational philosophy.

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by Nancy Sheehan
Telegram & Gazette

Converting Historic School Buildings for Residential Use

2007-09-22T12:05:00.000-05:00

An article from the United State Department of the Interior discusses some of the more successful attempts to convert derelict school buildings into multi-functional and meaningful attractions in the community.

PA: Preserving Pennsylvania’s Historic School Buildings

2007-09-22T11:57:00.000-05:00

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) has put together a campaign that includes the development of public programs and resources that encourage the preservation and continued use of historic school buildings.

"Often such schools are ill-equipped technologically and unable to meet the requirements of current educational goals. Prejudice against older construction and its perceived limitations have caused school boards across the Commonwealth to abandon older buildings for newly constructed schools. Often these decisions are made based on misinterpretation of state education policies. But community activists, preservationists, parents, history aficionados, the PHMC, Pennsylvania Department of Education, and residents alike are banding together to save historic schools."

OH: CPS Recommends Replacing Westwood Elementary School

2007-09-22T11:49:00.000-05:00

A recommendation has been made to tear down the current Westwood Elementary School and replace it with a new building at Harrison and Montana avenues, according to WPCO-TV. Hightlights:

That news came without warning to members of the Westwood Civic Association, who heard it for the first time during their Tuesday meeting.

"I think there was a pretty high element of surprise," said Association vice-president Randy Hammann.

When the Cincinnati Public Schools rebuilding program was announced in 2001, the plan called for a new Westwood Elementary School at a new location. The community protested and was able to secure a waiver to allow renovation of the stately structure that's been a Westwood fixture for years.

[Russ] Alford [construction manager for Turner/DAG/TYS, the firm overseeing the billion dollar project] said the Westwood building was constructed on nine-levels, making it impossible for someone in a wheelchair to get around. He said the gymnasium is too small and to build a new one by itself would cost an extra $1.5 million, which the State of Ohio will not reimburse. "This is not ADA-friendly. This is not environmentally-friendly. Academically, it's not very efficient," Alford said.

The recommendation to build a new Westwood Elementary School is just that at this point – a recommendation.

No final decision has been made by the school board.

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For more information:
http://news.communitypress.com/

MO: Parents Plead To Keep Holt Elementary Open

2007-09-21T21:58:00.000-05:00

Parents of a local elementary school are pleading to keep the school open. About 150 students attend Holt Elementary, [Missouri] a school that is part of the Kearney R1 district.

Several schools in Kearney are newer, bigger and able to handle the Holt students.

Holt parents received a letter from the superintendent Thursday that dispelled rumors that the school will definitely close. The letter said the school is simply considering the option.

The superintendent also said that if Holt Elementary closes, the classrooms in Kearney schools would remain the same size because they have the extra room.

by KMBC-TV

OH: MedCentral buys Carpenter Elementary School site

2007-09-21T21:47:00.000-05:00

The Mansfield [Ohio] City Schools Board of Education approved the sale Thursday, two days after rejecting MedCentral’s Sept. 7 public auction bid of $150,000 for the Carpenter Elementary School site at 71 Carpenter Road.

Rejection of the bid, which was the only one submitted, legally allowed the district to negotiate for private sale.

“I contacted MedCentral on Wednesday and told them the board wouldn’t sell it for $150,000,” said Jon Burkhart, the district’s chief executive officer. “We started negotiations back and forth and ended at $180,000. It is my understanding ... they are willing to close on the sale by Oct. 8.”

The property is appraised at $190,000.

MedCentral/Mansfield Hospital spokeswoman Cindy Jakubick said the hospital’s preliminary plans are to move meeting and classroom areas into the former school. Other possibilities include moving the child care center and “other services that don’t necessarily have to be in the main campus,” she said.

by Larry Gibbs
Mansfield News Journal

OH: Washington Elementary to go on auction block

2007-09-20T20:18:00.000-05:00

The Coshocton [Ohio] School Board has made a decision and if you're up to spending money, you can by a school building.

-----=====-----

Washington Elementary School is tentatively scheduled to be auctioned off at 11 a.m. Nov. 3.

The Coshocton City School board voted to put the former elementary school up for auction, an action Superintendent David Hire said was necessary in order to take the next step, which will be finding an auctioneer.

The board decided the property, at 1517 Chestnut St., was no longer needed for any school purposes. June 4 was the last day of school for the 76-year-old building, which permanently closed after two attempts for additional operating money were turned down by voters. The closing of the school sent about 155 students to Central Elementary School, raising the student population from around 450 to around 600.

The worst thing is, the board has had a few inquiries along the way wanting to know if it'd be possible to keep the building and rent it out," [Gary Lowe, district treasurer] said. "If you leave a building set empty, we're going to have to try to maintain its integrity and have money in heat, security and it's already got windows broken, it's already a problem."

Without the cost of paying for staff, he said utilities and upkeep for the building cost an average of $30,000 a year.

by Leeann Moore
Coshocton Tribune Writer

ME: School Officials Discuss Future Of Central Elementary School

2007-09-19T05:54:00.000-05:00

Parents and school officials met Tuesday [September 18] night in South Berwick to talk about the fire at the Central Elementary School on Sunday [September 16].

The damage from Sunday's fire was enough for school officials to call off classes for several days, and there's still no indication of when classes will resume.

The Central School is a Pre-K through 3rd grade school which was built in 1925. The school does not have smoke detectors or a sprinkler system in the wing where the fire broke out, but the superintendent says they are looking into making upgrades. Many parents just wanted to know what type of damaged school items need to be replaced and how the days off would effect scheduled events at the school.

WCSH-TV (09/19/07)

More information:
1st Responder Network

GA: Hickory Hills Elementary gets reprieve

2007-09-19T05:49:00.000-05:00

One of Marietta's oldest schools — Hickory Hills Elementary built in the 1960s to serve the Whitlock Heights neighborhood on the city's south side — narrowly escaped closure Tuesday.

School board members rejected a plan in a 3-4 vote to make it an elementary math, science and technology magnet school for grades 3 through 5.

Originally built to hold 300 to 400 students, Hickory Hills is underenrolled. In January, the board directed the superintendent to study the feasibility of creating an arts integration themed curriculum at Hickory Hills beginning in 2008-09. Those plans will go forward, school district spokesman Thomas Algrin said.

By Diane Stepp
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (09/18/07)

IA: Ceremony held for Rogers Elementary cornerstone

2007-09-15T22:03:00.001-05:00

Reporter Ken Black writes in the [Marshalltown] Times-Republican that members of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Iowa were on hand in Marshalltown for the cornerstone laying ceremony at Rogers Elementary School Thursday [September 13].

During the 2005-06 school year, construction of large addition occurred as well as a remodeling of a portion of our 1955 facility. Because the school recently completed its construction, the Freemasons were invited to perform the group’s cornerstone laying ceremony.

The grand master of the Masons explained the ceremony, which was several hundred years old. He noted only a few select types of buildings were eligible for the ceremony.

“From time immemorial, it has become the custom of the ancient and honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons, upon request, to lay, with their ancient forms, the corner stones of buildings erected for the worship of God, for educational or charitable objects, for Masonic uses, or for the purposes of the administration of justice and free government, and of no other buildings,” he said.

IA: Anson still requires some improvement

2007-06-06T17:08:00.000-05:00

Greg Pierquet reports in a recent Marshalltown Times Republican article that Anson Middle School [AMS] will be going through some exterior changes in the months ahead. Highlights:

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As much as $500,000 for renovation and demolition at the school site are part of a capital improvement plan drafted this month by the district’s administrators and the school board.

The MCSD made the decision years ago that Anson Middle School was the odd school out. Its location created traffic and pedestrian congestion on the city’s near east side and the original 1927 portion of the building was going to be expensive to renovate.

The re-opening of Lenihan Intermediate created more instructional space, but the district’s support services — food service, buildings and grounds — needed a location. They are now at the old Anson Middle School, something Associate Superintendent Pat Kremer said is working well to this point.

He said the demolition of the south end of the school was part of the original $35 million bond issue sought, but was one of the projects cut once the district asked for $25 million.

“The demolition has to happen as far as saving energy and not allowing the building to become [an eye sore,]” said Director of Buildings and Grounds Rick Simpson, who has overseen much of the transition to the new location.

Demolishing the southern portion of the building and digging up the existing boiler — represented by the smoke stack located between the AMS Support Services and Anson Elementary buildings — could create space for a bus drop-off area for the elementary school.

WV: State Street School to be demolished

2007-05-31T19:55:00.000-05:00

News out of the Fairmont Times West Virginian that the State Street School and other buildings on the east side of town will be demolished.

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The yellow-brick walls of the old school, an East Side landmark since its construction in 1912, were shining in the afternoon sun.

But the building’s many broken windows tell a tale of abandonment. So does the graffiti sprayed on a weathered sheet of plywood, nailed up across the school’s main entrance.

Under a $522,450 contract awarded late last month by the state Division of Highways, the old school — sold first by the county school board several years ago and sold again last June to the state for $55,600, according to courthouse records — is one of a number of buildings set to be torn down this summer.

The structures are being demolished for the Gateway Connector, the new 1 1/2-mile link from Interstate 79 to the High Level Bridge and the downtown.

The old school and about 49 other structures will be taken down by Ahern & Associates Inc. of South Charleston, said Don Williams. He is the construction engineer for the DOH’s regional offices in Clarksburg. Ahern & Associates is the same firm that built the new bridge over the interstate for the new road.

The company is currently widening the interstate to at least three lanes in each direction from the downtown exit (Exit 137) to the Pleasant Valley Road exit (Exit 135).

The firm has until Oct. 19 to finish the second round of demolitions, Williams said. About 200 homes and businesses are in the new road’s route. The route was announced in September 2001.

The company will start razing the buildings in earnest by late June, [City Planner Jay] Rogers said.

Published May 13, 2007

OH: Goings and Comings in Newark

2007-05-30T19:25:00.000-05:00

The Going

L.B. Whyde reports in the May 16, 2007 edition of the Newark (OH) Advocate that the seven-decade old Hartzler Elementary School finally was razed May 15:

Old Hartzler school demolished, finally

Early Tuesday morning, residents on South Fifth Street awoke to the sound of a large track hoe demolishing the old Hartzler Elementary School.

For the school's neighbor, Todd Kramer, who has lived across the street from the dilapidated school for 11 years, this had been a long time coming.

"This is probably a change in the right direction," Kramer said.

He admits part of him would have liked to see the school preserved because his mother attended the school from 1948 to 1954. But he didn't like when children would hang out and hide near the front entrance of the school. He even saw kids on the roof occasionally, which worried him because of the fragile state of the structure.

Hartzler opened in 1913 after a two-room schoolhouse that had been on the site since 1869 was demolished. The schoolhouse was named the South Fifth Street School but was known as South House.

Once the new school was built, it was named after a former Newark City School District Superintendent J.C. Hartzler, said Karen Truett, communication director for the district.

Hartzler received a renovation and addition in 1953 and served the community for 71 years before it was closed in 1985. More than 17,000 children attended the school throughout the years.

The Coming

In the May 30th edition of the paper, reporter Jennifer Nesbitt reports that Wilson Middle School is undergoing renovations.

Wilson Middle School kicks off renovations with groundbreaking ceremony

Wilson Middle School took its first step toward better technology, new classrooms and an extra 13,500 square feet of space when district administrators, school board members and students broke ground for the building's renovation Tuesday.

"We'll update all of our technological abilities and rewire the building. We'll have improved academic facilities," Newark City Schools Assistant Superintendent Dan Montgomery said. "Everything will be brought up to the 21st-century guidelines."

The renovation of Wilson Middle School, built in 1929, will cost the district $7.4 million and is part of the district's $131 million building project. Five buildings, excluding Wilson, are under construction, and five have yet to break ground.
Wilson students will spend the 2007-08 school year at Roosevelt Middle School, with the renovated Wilson Middle School scheduled to open in August 2008. With all the renovations, Montgomery said those who return to the building in 2008 won't recognize it on the inside.

"For all intents and purposes, when we walk in, it will be a new building," he said.

MS: Part of old Hattiesburg High may be salvaged

2007-05-30T06:08:00.000-05:00

Hattiesburg American, May 29, 2007:

Despite the fact that the front of the building has been destroyed, the back portion of the old Hattiesburg High School on Main Street may be salvageable, Fire Chief David Webster said this morning as firefighters kept the building cool and contained what’s left of the fire that began at 6:05 a.m. today.

The building, owned by the Historic Hattiesburg Downtown Association, was going to be used as a new home for the University of Southern Mississippi’s art department, said association President Joe White.

The roof of the building caved in at about 8 a.m., leaving just the frame of the four-story building intact.

The fire began on the first floor and moved its way through the building, Webster said. Firefighters will continue to cool the outside of the building – to prevent damage to surrounding structures – until the fire inside has been put out, Webster said.

In the last few years, several groups have worked toward saving the building and turning it into an arts center for students at the University of Southern Mississippi.

After Hurricane Katrina caused a lot of damage, a group of about 40 volunteers from Michigan came to Hattiesburg to repair the roof, board up windows and make other repairs to safeguard the building.

In December, Mississippi Department of Archives and History announced that the project qualified for a $1 million grant to aid the building's restoration project through the Hurricane Relief Grant Fund.

To renovate the building into an arts center was estimated to cost between $12 million and $16 million.

CT: Duggan plan questioned by state

2007-05-28T11:03:00.000-05:00

From the Waterbury (CT) Republican-American, March 13, 2007:

The city's school construction plans have hit another snag, with state officials raising concerns about rebuilding Duggan School.

The State Department of Education's construction division is questioning the cost of renovating the 117-year-old building, the school system's budget chief said Monday.

The city filed an application for some $27 million in state funding toward the $35 million project. That's slightly more than the estimated cost of building a new school on the same site in Brooklyn, the city's original plan.

"The state has some concerns with switching from new construction to renovation," [Chief Operating Officer Paul] Guidone told the Board of Education. "They invited us to submit more documentation."

Guidone suggested the state's concerns could end up sinking the idea of preserving the iconic Duggan building, which dates back to 1890.

Duggan has been selected as a site for one of three new 550-student elementary/middle schools, slated to open in 2010.

Concerns over the Duggan project come just weeks after the state rejected a funding application to expand and improve the city's alternative education facilities. That proposal did not specify which building would be renovated, as required, and the timetable for the $32 million project was deemed too slow.

School board President Patrick J. Hayes Jr., who favors preserving the historic building, said he's hopeful the state will agree to fund the project. But, he acknowledged, the plan may not prove feasible.

"I really think it's important for us, but we aren't going to spend additional dollars to preserve it," Hayes said.

-=-

Read a Preservation 911 letter about the school at the Preservation Magazine.

IN: Evansville/Central High School

2007-05-28T10:58:00.001-05:00

Constructed: Unknown
Demolished: 1973
Address: Sixth and Vine Street

What is now known as Evansville’s Central High has had a long and varied history, as the building we’re highlighting was actually the school’s sixth home. The school is the oldest free public high school in continuous operation west of the Allegheny Mountains, claims its website. The school was established in 1854 as Evansville High School but was known as Central High School after the 1918 construction of the town’s second high school. In 1896, a north and south wing were added to the Sixth and Vine campus, as was the symbolic Central Tower, fondly remembered by being pictured prominently on the current school’s crest.

A new Central High was built on First Avenue in the early 1970s; shortly thereafter this building was razed.

Evansville, first settled in 1812, is the third-largest city in the state of Indiana.

Link:
A Little History of Vanderburgh County, Indiana

CA: Modesto High School

2007-05-27T16:23:00.001-05:00

Constructed: Unknown
Demolished: Unknown
Address: Unknown

Another school building that looks like another school building...you ever get the sense that one or two guys designed all of these and then made franchises from the blueprints? Still, I like this look – the block shape with the contrasting light and dark colors and funny roofs – and am glad to see another example.

Director George Lucas (of THX 1138 fame) is a native of the city and used Modesto, California as the setting for his 1973 film American Graffiti. While many of the scenes from the film are based on Lucas’ high school memories, we don’t think it’s this high school building.

IA: Time capsule reveals Glick’s beginnings

2007-04-22T05:31:00.000-05:00

A time capsule from the construction of Glick School was recovered recently during the demolition of the century-old building. In it were newspapers from 1902, blueprints of the building and a letter from its leaders at the Independent School District, a business directory, an annual convention brochure of the Iowa State Federation of Labor, city officials listing, a Labor Day celebration program and some other letterhead and advertisements.

Of particular interest to Center Associates, who bought the property and plan to build an apartment complex in its place, was the letter explaining the hermetically sealed box, deposited on Labor Day in 1902.

The capsule was laid by the school board president Charles H. Hull, the great-grandfather of local businessman Jonathan Hull, who four generations after will partake in another construction project on the same ground as a member of the Center Associates board.

...

Center Associates CEO Mike Bergman said he is unsure yet what will be done with the contents, though a display in the new building was one option. Other options may depend on the interest of the Historical Society of Marshall County and the school district, he said.

TX: Georgetown High School

2007-02-25T08:52:00.004-06:00

Constructed: 1923-24
Demolished: Not applicable
Address: 507 East University Avenue

This building (in a "Spanish colonial revival style") has served the Georgetown, Texas community for well over 80 years. The location was the original site of Southwestern University, from 1875 until 1916. Georgetown built its first high school here in 1923 and this structure has been in constant use by the school district since, first as a junior high and then as an elementary school until 1999. Additions to the building have included the gymnasium and cafeteria in the 1940s, the music building in the 1960s, and, after extensive internal and external remodeling, an eastern wing in 2002.

Incidentally, the school's northwestern façade can be seen in the 1993 film Dazed and Confused, shot in and around the Austin area; however much of the school as viewed in the movie is gone: the school bus pickup and delivery area has been removed and is now green space; the tennis courts on the western side of the campus have been paved over for administrative parking; and the fire escape slides have been removed.

Links:
Georgetown ISD
Historical Marker Database

PA: Reynoldsville High School

2007-02-22T21:18:00.001-06:00

Constructed: Unknown
Demolished: Unknown
Address: unknown

I've got next to nothing about the building and less about the tiny community of Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania, other than it's in the western part of the state and part of Jefferson County. That’s the same county that's home to America's favorite groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil.

ME: Bath High School

2007-02-19T16:48:00.002-06:00

Constructed: Unknown
Demolished: Unknown
Address: unknown

Now, I've been to Bath, England – and seen some hideously colored water – but I have not heard of Bath, Maine, the so-called City of Ships. Apparently, the early settlers of Maine were also familiar with Bath, England: "The name 'Bath' was selected due to hopes of association with Bath, England, a small but famous, fashionable town undergoing a building boom of fabulous architecture, and perhaps also due to family connections of some of the leading citizens with that Old World city." Or so claims the Bath, Maine Library website. This community in Maine was originally incorporated as a town 1780 and has been primarily known as a shipbuilding community since colonial times. It is home to the Bath Iron works, whose shipyards have constructed many sea-faring vessels for the United State Navy.

I don't know much of anything about the Bath High School – past or present – except to say this is one of the strangest shaped buildings I've ever seen for a school. Its façade looks more like that of a church. Go figure, huh?

IA: Goodbye, Glick

2007-02-12T21:17:00.000-06:00

"All we can think about in Marshalltown anymore is tearing down perfectly good buildings. Goodbye, Glick."

Talk Back; February 11, 2007.
(Talk Back is a 24-hour phone line for opinions of anonymous callers of the Marshalltown Times-Republican).