Los Angeles herald., 1905-04-10
SCHOOL WILL Be
MODEL OF BEAUTY
POLYTECHNIC BUILDINGS ARE
BEING RUSHED
President Francis Says Work viii Be
Completed and Institution
starte by Septem-
ber Next

When the members of the board of
education asked for school bonds a
few weeks ago in order that the new
Polytechnic high school might be COM
pleted in manner which would be in
accord with the plans of the board to
erect in Los Angeles an institution Of
which the city could be proud, not
only at present, but also i'm future, they
were somewhat dubious of the result.
Since the bond issue carried by an
overwhelming majority the members
of the board feel encouraged to go
ahead with their plans and spare no
pains to give to the ambitious school
children in Los Angeles opportunities
and advantages second to none in the
United States. They believe that the
carrying of the bond issue by so large
vote was an expression by the people
OF their confidence i'm the board and
also the desire of the citizens of Los
Angeles for an institution which shall
be a credit to the city.
Work on the building of the school
is being pushed rapidly by Contractor
Engstrom.
Exteriors Almost Complete
The exteriors of all of the buildings,
except the large auditorium, are COM
plete so far as brick and wood work are
concerned, and men are now engaged
in putting the finishing plaster on the
nrItc ell of I,o
The four-story main building, which
faces Washington street, is nearer
completion than any of the others.
The roof Is finished and the columns
supporting and adorning the large
main entrance are in place. The or
nate entrance is complete. with the ex-
ception of the plaster and the stairs
The main staircase will lead from the
ground to a porch on a level with
the second floor, from which two wide
doors will give admission to the broad
hall extending the full length of the
building, 200 feet.
Directly in the rear of this building
are located the shops. The buildings
for these are one-story structures of
brick, as are all of the buildings con-
ing is the unique feature of these shops
and was taken from the scheme en-
ployed in lighting the Armour institute
shops in Chicago. The roof is a sue
cession of ridges crossing the building
from east to west, the north side of the
n I,ot IL, H.
the south side has long slope. This
long slope Is covered with a solid roof.
while the steep one is built almost en-
tirely of glass, thus giving a north
light and allowing no direct light in
the building. This is considered by ex-
pert mechanics to be the ideal light for
machine shops. but it is only in rare
cases that it is possible to get 1t. In
these buildings will be located the iron
foundry, the wood working shops and
the general machine and blacksmithng
shops. All will be fitted with the best
of machinery and tools.
Back of the shops, fronting on Twen-
tieth street is the science laboratories
and observatory building, with a front
of over 100 feet and two stories high.
In this building are to be located la
boratories for the study of all branches
of natural science and chemistry, while
the southwest portion is to be occu-
pied with a completely equipped OBJ
Servatory.
In the angle formed by the main
c aH hn
ing plant. When complete this plant
will be up to date in every particular.
The building is up and the fifty-foot
stack has been completed and plas-
tered.
The auditorium building was the last
completed so far, but the work is prog
ressing well. The heavy brick walls
are up and the steel arch over the
stage is in place, as are three smaller
arches. from which will be swung the
gallery. This auditorium is to have 4
seating capacity equal to that of the
Mason opera house and will be equip
ped with complete stage. The floor
of the main room is on a level with
the second story. There are to be two
handsome entrances leading by broad
stairways directly to the ground out
side, and other exits will lead to the
ground floor and thence outside. The
building is constructed entirely of
brick and steel and will thus be prac-
tically fireproof.
Beneath the auditorium. I'm a room
seventy by forty feet, will be located
the gymnasium, which will be COM
plete i'm every particular. 1t is planned
to make physical training an important
feature of the curriculum of the new
school.