The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-04
THE NEW HIGH-SCHOOL.
A Description Of the New North-Side Build
ing-Preparing for Its Dedication.

The now High school building will be dedi-
Gated this evening, and occupied by nearly 600
students, now domiciled in Roberts Park and
Meridian-street churches, next Monday The yi,e
site is that of the old Underhill residence built
in 1876, and remodeled for Baptist seminary
twenty years later About fifteen y<ara ago the
property was purchased by ne school board
and occupied as higt.s school and public library
-No" ''0fies we're added and shaky additions
-.ue as they were needed, until it became an
ungightly and dangerous old labyrinth. 1t was
condemned by committees and fire boards re-
peatedly Fire destroyed one building and a
part of the library in 1874 but the old walls were
retained, the cupola and porticos removed, but
tresses and Orders applied, but still it was a
erumbling old trap. a constant menace to
its occupants, and an eye-sore to the board, who
condemned it fifteen months ago, and ordered
the present building This was begun last June,
and receives its finishing touches today
The new building is pleasing and imposing
structure, 200 feet long, two stories high, with
ample basement and attic. In the center of
both main floors is well-lighted corridor 200
feet by IL, with suite Of assembly and recita-
ton rooms on each side, and total seating ca
pacity of 600. The city is now able to provide,
without further expense, for a thousand high
school pupils in its two new hig school build
ing. There are four entrances, one on each side,
and ample stairways and exits All the doors
open outward there is little stair climbing to do
and in case of fire, absolutely no danger to the
occupants. The sanitary conditions are perfect;
heat and ventilation is secured by four sectional
boilers in the corners of the basement. Each
room is heated and ventilated independent OF the
rest Cold fresh air is heated in the basement
by five radiators" and passes to each ROOM en-
tering in three opposite corners. The foul-air
fues are between the hot-air fues, securing a
constant outward current from each room to the
top OF the building. 1t will not be necessary to
open the windows, thus avoiding the draughts
Of cold air which slay our school children like q
sword and are worse evil than scarlatlnl or
carbonic acid.
Each assembly room has alsotwo neat bronzed
radiators for extreme weather The building is
recessed on both the long sides, giving ample
rear and side lights The retiring room for girls
and women on the first floor has ample closets
and lavatories. The floors and wainscoting are
of polished Georgia pine; the walls white, except
the black boards, which are far too high and too
abundant, running entirely around each room,
and suggestive of future dust and eye strain.
Of course there is pleasant Office and teachers
room, and also ar deliberately fitted laboratory
for Chemistry, experimental and analytical, one
of the completest in the West, and which only
needs thousand dollars worth of apparatus to
be fitted for good work in chemistry and physics.
There is no room or special provision for teach
ing botany, zoology and geology
Exteriorly the building is of best red brick,
with ornamental stone trimmings, stone-capped
windows, best slate roof and blue limestone
basement, in regular courses, rock faced and
fooled edges The ceilings are IA feet, root
space to %. the basement g. making So feet in
the clear, 60 feet total and IS feet to the flag
staff, which the board voted little too nice to
float the Union flag, as the daily sign that 1t Is
time for the school to take up"
An excellent feature of the building is the as
sembly hall. 7Sx46 feet furnished with 600 per-
forated seat chairs-a beautiful room on the sec
ond floor of the Pennsylvania street side, to be
used as general assembly hall and room Tor the
city teachers Institutes.
The total cost of the building, including heat
ing apparatus, comes within $54, 00O 1t has
been carefully supervised by its architect and
designer, Mr.. Henry c. Hendrckson, the build
ing agent of the board, who has been daily on
the grounds, heading off all jobs and poor mate
rial or work, as also by the building committee
and other members of the School Board, who
have often been seen haunting the LOCALITY
throughout the year. Mr.. Horace Tarbell, the
former superintendent OF schools, also took great
interest and pride in the various schemes for a
new building, as also did Mr. George Merritt,
who was satisfied, and always contended, that the
old barracks were not SAFE
The most general criticism heard on the streets
about the building is it's nearEess to the street
twenty feer-with its constant din OF wagons
and street-cars. The park feature" 30 marked
in the old grounds has entirely disappeared,
but there is ample room on the alley side for an
arboretum and botanical garden. The entrances
are rather narrow, but there are enough of them
to make up the difference. The small glass OF
the windows are suggestive of the '7x9s" OF
some shoe factory or penal institution. Nothing
is go cheap as plate glass in identifying public
building