The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-04-07
WILL BE CHANGED.
Plans OF Central Park School Ordered
Modified.

Plans OF Central Park School Ordered
Modified.
The action taken by the members Of
the school board at the regular MONTH
ly meeting held last night indicates
that the plans for the Central Park
school house adopted at a meeting a
month or SO ago will be so changed
that the original plans will hardly be
recognized. The changes have been
| made Tor number of reasons. In the
first place the roof will be almost fiat
and the plans for lighting have been
/ greatly changed.
The recent agitation relative to safe
ty from fire has caused a number of
other important changes to be made in
conformity with the opinion of Fire
1 Marshal Wilmarth. The floor plans for
the structure will remain about as they
| were in the original plans. though iron
stairways will be provided in place of
| the wooden affairs originally planned
1t is expected that the building will
! cost about $4,000 and the style Of brick
has not been agreed upon though it is
likely that pressed brick Of a grey color
will be used. The central portion of
the front of the building will be liberal
ly supplied with windows and exits
whites the wings on either corner will
4 present solid surface free from OPEN
ings Of any kind. II the suggestion
of J. w. Gleed is followed a huge map
of either hemisphere will adorn the
| smooth blank walls.
An attempt will be made by the
| architects and members of the school
board to make this building as modern
| In every way as possible and especial
| attention will be paid to the lighting
cob TI,n 0f@ I,-
| ed over the boiler room will be Of steel
/ as precaution against explosions or
fire and the brick partitions will extend
from the basement to the roof and act
| as fire walls.
| Fire Marshal Wilmarth filed his re-
| port last night after having made a
! thorough inspection of all OF the school
buildings in the city and while the re-
port indicates that the buildings as a
rule are in good shape as far as fire is
] concerned minor changes were sug-
gested in almost every instance where
the inspection was made.
! In most instances the changes sug-
1 gested though important are easily
made and in many instances amount
| to changes Of doors and windows SO
| that they will open more freely in case
of a fire. Many Of the doors open in
| ward and the fire marshal has suggest
| ed that a change be made Immediately
| so that these exits will be closed by
doors opening outward. The board has
already made a number of the minor
changes suggested and the remainder
| Of the suggestions will be carried out
| Immediately. s5
Fire escapes will be placed on all of
the buildings as soon as possible, plans
for a number of them being adopted
at last nights meeting, where the
building exceeds two stories in height.
J. c. Holland submitted plans for fire
escapes for the high school and the
| Lincoln school building which were
adopted. George Brooks Of the Capital
Iron Works appeared before the board
| with plans for a fire escape which is
something new as far as Topeka is
concerned and seem to possess many
points of advantage.
This escape is a modification OF the
spiral stair way and is widened SO that
it makes the encline less great than in
the original spiral escape plan. Ch1er
| Wilmarth insists that immediate steps
be taken to supply the manual training,
the Lincoln street school and the man
ual training buildings with escapes.
The nIans for the construction of the
manual school buildings included nre
escapes to conform with the state law
but for some reason they were never
placed on the building.
In his trip of inspection about the
school buildings of the city the nre
l maTSndl ui6CONSACN SAAels 80
stances the hose and other fire fighting
paraphernalia is out of repair on ac-
count of lack of use. The school board
has promised to see to 1t that this de-
feet is remedied at the earliest possible
moment. 1t is possible that all of the
buildings in the city will be equipped
| with fire extinguishers. a representa-
| tive of a firm manufacturing them ap-
| pearing before the board last night
The bill of L. NJ. Wood for plans SUBJ
mitted nearly two years ago for the
| Central Park school building for $45O
| bobbed up again with the proposition
| OF Mr.. Wood to deduct one-half If PAID
| at once. The members Of the board did
| not look with favor upon the bill even
for this sum and the matter was again
referred back to the building commit
| tee with the suggestion that a meeting
| be arranged with Mr.. Wood, former
| members Of the board Zimmerman and
Wilson with a view Of determining the
| liability of the board for any part of
| the bill.
| one of the plans for fire escape for
the high school building contemp1ates
| a stairway on the rear of the building
for the daily use of pupils in leaving
the auditorium. 1t is more than likely
that plans for the manual training and
high school buildings will not be COM
pleted until it is determined if it is
| not possible to build them in conjunc-
ton with steel viaduct connecting the
two buildings.
L