The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-10-09
SKYSCRAPER IDEA
IN %SCH0OLHOUSE
New York Board of Education
Believes 1t Has Solved Per
picking Problems.
room FOR 5000 CHILDREN.
Ffreproof Structure Will Front
on Three Streets and an Alley
and Will Have Two Hun
dred Classrooms.

NEPUBLIc SPECIAL
New York. Oct. 3-The Board OF Edu
cation believes that the utilization OF th'
skyscraper idea IN A twelve-story school
house will solve many difficult problems
encountered In the consested districts Of
the city. Arrangements to put the new
plan into execution have already beer
ccmpLsted.
The biggest school building IN the world
Is to be erected at Grand. Ludlow and
Norfolk streets. on the yite Of School No.
III. This building IS TO be torn down 10
make way for the skyscraper. and the
pupils Will be accommodated in Public
School No. 81. at Hestor. Norfolk and Es-
sex streets. while II is building.
Public School No. G. IS nov under con-
struction, and 1t was the Intention of the
Board Of Education 10 make a skyscraper
out Of IL. but THE school authorities finally
decided TO abandon the idea. The building.
which will be completed within a year. Is
six stories high, IS Il was checked in its
towering height at this story on account
Of the popular fear Of fire.
TO ACCOMMODATE $500
The new skyscraper Will be absolutely
freproof and Will have every possible
means of escape in case OF danger. It has
not yet been decided whether the building
will be ten or twelve stories high. but II
IL is ten stories high It will accommodate
500 children.
Associate Superintendent George g.
Davis. who has been interested in the
skyscraper building as a solution TO the
crowded school problem. said to-day that
Ihe loea was generally favored by the
school authorities, and that he AND Build
ing Superintendent Snyder had decided
that II was so perfectly practicable that
plans would be pushed through at once.
school building No. ~" said Mr.. pa-
the new building is erected on that much
ground II may readily be seen what
economy in space will be brought about.
commcdate Just twice as many pupils as
the ordinary large building by running II
UP into the air.
TWO HUNDRED CLAssRoOMs.
The new structure. for which Mr.. sny-
der has excellent piana will contain about
30 ciassrooms. Glasses will be confined
to floors in relation to their grades, 30
that there will be no necessity for pupils
leaving the one ioor. The building viii be
devoted to the higher grades. and that
viii be another point In favor Of the
pills viii have more ssif-possesston. and
then. besides that. the excellent control
teachers have over scholars on account
OF fire drills rs almost perfect.
The hre-drill problem in the large
Fchools has reached a degree of perfection
that makes the handling Of large crowds
q simple matter.
"0f course. the building VIII be as near
ly hreproof as modern building construc-
ton VIII allow; which means that prae-
VIII sIffi se t he ,G DnlE inssm FbePe vii s=Eo 81 5ess
exits and four hish-speed elevators. Es-
c%alators VIII run between floors, and
there will be g number OF broad stair
ways
The departmental system Will be used, |
ana tins, together with the fact that the
scholars are all Of the higher grades. Will
tenn of teaching was proposed for the new
building In order to keep each grade to q
single floor and DO away with the neces-
sity for pupils 10 pass from one floor to
another.
FINE FOR NIGHT SCHOOLS.
The building will b especially suited
10 night schools. and as this proposition
has been almost as serious on the east
side as the day school. the skyscraper
will be a great advantage. The building
Tiil be as nearly IKE a modern Office
ished Il will be the biggest school building
in the world, and the first Of its kind as
well.
The skyscraper is bound to be the solu-
ton OF the problem" said Mr.. Davis, for
II is necessary to make the most Of the
ground allotted We have already planned
the problem Of dismissal to a certain e3-
tent. fo- TO turn 5000 or 1000 children our
at once might be confusing. For this
reason different hours Of dismissal VIII
be arranged. At Dismissal the pupils on
the lower floors viii go out by the stair
ways. the uppsr-foor pupils using the ele-
vators. AS the building will front on
three streets and an alley It will be easy,
comparatively speaking. TO empty the
school.
The building will be arranged with IF
teen classrooms on each floor. and each
room viii accommodate fifty pupils. OF
course, We cannot begin the building until
No. ~ is torn down. and this necessitates
finding accommodations for the scholars
in this school. No. 81. which Is a large
school. will offer this room. and as soon
as II is completed the pupils will be
transferred TO IL and No. 131 torn down-"
Building Superintendent Snyder said IN
regard to the proposed skyscraper that
II was entirely practicable. and had he
considered 1t so he would never have
proposed II for school building at Nc.
i57.
II believe the skyscraper school building
TO be the practical solution Of the school |
There is not space enough to |
expand on the ground, so the schools will !
have TO follow the plan Of the Office build
inp-expand inward"