The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-02-03
THE new TECHNICAL
HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING

A Descriptive Article on the Handsome New
Structure, the Finest Educational
Building on the Iron Ranges.
The new Technical High School
building, which has recently been
occupied, was erected at cost of
about $l80yO0O. 1t is built of Harvard
red, vitrifed brick, granite base, and
white Bedford stone trimmings. Its
dimensions are 1874 feet long, 81 feet
wide, the main central portion be
ing three stories high, the end
| wings two stories. The building is
fire proof throughout, being of re-
lnforced concrete construction. The
stairways are steel with slate treads,
the corridor doors and frames are
steel, all interior glass is fire proof,
all corridor, bath room, and toilet
room floors and bases are terrazzo,
all toilet and bath rooms are vain
scoted with Tennessee marble six
feet in height.
The interior of the building was
mainly planned by Prof. L. Bliss,
superintendent of the!city schools,
aud all details of construction were
closely watched by him. In the
basement are the manual training
shops, gymnasium, toilet rooms'
bath rooms, locker rooms, draught-
ing room, stock room, and two plen
um chambers. The shops comprise
a large bench room for working in
wood, lathe room where will be
located the lathes for both wood
| and steel work, power saws, pla amer,
ETC., the forge room and blacks mi tn
shop, in which will be located
twelve Buffalo forges, blowers and
dra ught fans. and full equipment
of tools for working in iron and
steel. In these shops considerable
space has been provided for lockers
and lavatories. The gymnasium is
S4x44 feet, with an IS. foot ceiling,
Shower and tub baths, with room
for lockers, are located at each end
of the gymnasium. The egymnasium
can be used as hall for public
gatherings and has seating ca
pacity of 800.
On the first floor are the offices,
domestic science, sewing and cook
ing rooms with pantry and locker
room, library with recitation rooms
for history and literature adjoining
two waiting rooms for teachers,
with toilets and lavatories, four
grade rooms, stock room, and jan
itor's room. The corridor on this
floor is also designed for banquet
hall.
On the second floor are the senior
and Junior session room, the sopho-
more session room, the freshmen
session room, foreign language
recitation room, English recitation
room, chemistry laboratory, physics
laboratory with lecture room be-
tween; agricultural laboratory, b1o-
logical laboratory with plant con-
servatory between; two toilet rooms,
four cloak rooms, and janitor's
closet. Bookcases are built into the
walls of all school rooms, recitatio on
rooms, and offices.
! On the third floor, the suite of
rooms in the front are to be devoted
to business practice and com.
mercial school. There is large
session room for bookkeeping, a
room to be fitted up for banking
and office practice, one for typewrit.
ling, and one for shorthand work.
1t Is intended that the business
course in this school shall not be
surpassed anywhere. The corridor
on this floor is designed 10 be fitted
up as school museum in which
will be kept on constant exhibition
the work of the pupils in manual
training. domestic science, agricul
ture, general school work, togethe,
with complete collection of iron
ores, geological specimens, and
botanical specimens illustrative o1
the flora of this section of the state
The school has already received
state honors in this depa rtment O.
work and has on hand a good star
for this room. This museum is t.
be fitted with cases having ira,
drawers so that any of the materia
needed IN the school rooms 70;
demonstrative purposes, can b,
easily taken where it is needed. 4
large lecture room, for using tn,
stereopticon in school work, is alst
on this floor. This room can b,
. darkened in the day time by ,nerel,
pressing button. The stereopti
con has been used for several YEAR
in this school in presenting schoo
work and its use is deemed 1mpor,
ant enough to devote a good size,
room to this purpose. Cloak rooms
toilet rooms and janitor's closet ar
also on this floor. About 800 pupil
per week will take work in thi
building as soon as the manua
TRAINING and c0mrnerc;ol doo,-1