The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-07-11
Report On the Park
Street School House.
Subject To Be Considered Next Mon.
day.
$4,000 For Entertaining
the Squadron.
New Electric Go. Gets Its Pole
Rights.

The meeting Of the city government
last evening was made interesting hy
al least two important subjscts--the Park
street school house and the entertain
ment Of the squadron. The Park street
school matter came up IN joint conven-
sion, when Mayor Robinson read the
following report:
Portland, Me-. July 9TH. 1899.
10 the Honorable Mayor and City Couu-
Gil, PORTLAND, Maine
| Acting under the provisions of an order
| passed by the City Council on June 5sh.
1893, copy OF which IL hereby attached.
the Park Street School Com mission has
the honor to submit the following report.
| As to the fret proposition In the order
your commissioners lind that the original
plan Of the building was 40 faulty and its
present condition Is SO bad from the edu-
catinnal, as well as from the sanitary
point Of view, that they deem it wholly
inexpediens and unwise simply to repair
the building whether extensively or
slightly.
| In order that the plan OF the present
building may be more thoroughly under.
stood we attach herewith three floor
plans Easement, first and second flooe)
drawn to a scale of sixteen feet to the
inoh showing the building as at present
arranged.
The building as originally built was a
simple parallelogrRm SSfeet wide. and
| "a feet long, being the main portion nf
the present structure. Some years after
an addition was built on the rear end
20 feet In depth and projecting on
! building, this portion containing one
| school room on the first floor with hall
and staircase. and on second floor two
rooms; one, however, being very small.
The building structurally is sound and
strong, its walls VI ample thickness and
well built.
| Specifying some OF the present faults
| OF the building, we lind that:
The general arrangement of the school
rooms, entries. wardrobes, and stairways
is unsuited to the requirements of modern
schools.
The school Frooms are not OF proper
shape; their width Is so great that thew
cannot suitably be lighted. WHISTLER the
light 10 taken nom one or from two of
their sides.
The school rooms In this building have
four windows each, two at the left Of the
pupils and two at the right. The ooni-
bined area or glass in the windows is
about one-twelfth of that OF the floor. II
should be one-fifth, at least Added to
| thcinsufficiency Of the lighting, the pupils
in these rooms have had to work under
the disadvantage Of troublesome cross.
from their right than from thsir left.
The heating has been from direct radia.
tion from steam pipes. There is no pro.
vision for the Introduction OF fresh air,
| and the ducts for the abstraction of foul
air are ridiculousiy small and otherwise
faulty. There has. practically, been no
means OF ventilating the school rooms,
| except through open windows, and the
ventilation of school rooms in this way
in our climate, Is inefficient and danger
GUS TO the occupants OF the rooms.
The cellar, or.basement, In Its present
| condition, is 30 limited in height, that
windows for the proper airing and light
ing Of ID cannot be provided.
The sanitary arrangements OF the base
ment are all exceedingly faulty. The
water closets and urtuals cannot bs kept
clean and free from odor. The house
drain from the water closets and urinals)
has been leaky at times thus permitting
| the saturation of the around beneath the
building with sewage.from which poison.
Gus gases of decomposition have permeat-
ed, not only the air of the basement, but
OF the school rooms above.
The decision of your commission that
repairing should not be recommended was
early and easily reached; but the consid-
Grafton OF the alter native propositions
has required much time and Thought.
The PARK Street School lot has d 'front.'
| age Of 30 feet and depth Of a12. Ii COW
ers, therefore. an area of is,0s0 square
feet. The twelve-room building for
which plans were accepted Is 6S IT. . in, in
| width by i46ft. din. in length. 1t would,
therefore, cover 10. 1s2 square feet of the
school lot, leaving balance Of only q, sos
| So. It. for approaches. walks. and MAY
ground. This including approaches and
walks, would give to each of the 500
pupils patch Of ground less than axe
| feet. This represents very undesira BILE
degree of overorowdinR Of the playground.
even for n city school where u CITY lot of
ample area is often unavailable. ANY
plan other than that TO which reference
has been made which provides TOR
twslye-room building with the necessary
corridors, stairways, and clothes rooms,
would cover practically the same amount
of ground space. eA-.s
Another objection to the proposed plan
is that the loneer sides OF the building
win be but loft. Din from the lateral
boundaries of the lot, and at the widest
point the building lwould be.only about
SIT Din. fromsthe line. Under these con-
ditions there can be no assurance that
| in the future large part OF the light for
the school rooms may not be cut. off by
the owners Of the adjacent lots. The
If twslve-room building Of any other
plan with a central corridor and school
rooms ON either aide OF 1t were bujlt
plan for twelve-room building with two
rooms ON each floor taking their principal
light from the Park Street side, two from
the right side Of the lot. and two from
| the rear was considered
In = building thus arranged ii would
be practicable TO place it somewhat TO the
left OF the iineal center Of tho lot, thus
giving more space for light on the right
hand side of the lot. lin using the terms.
fright side" of the lot, or "left sitleI tbe
observer Ia supposed to be standing in.
Park street facing the lot) A plan OF
this kind would provide to some extent
against futnre contingencies affecting the
crowded playground would not be re-
moved.
/ Your commissioners would urge other
objections against the construution az
swelve-Eoom buildings Efor pupils Of the
pIlmary graaes; we tninkstbat 10 is un-