The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-03-27
Local Data
he 24 hours ending at 2 ?. m,
LETTERS TO EDITOR
High School in WoodIawn

To the Editor of The Age-Herald.
 1 The logical place for the High school
 to be erected in the eastern portion
 of the city is Woodlawn. To place this
 school elsewhere would be like build
 r ing our new postoffice in one of our
 suburbs instead of in Birmingham
 proper At Woodlawn there are two
 sites available that are ideally located
 for this school. The property known as l the Bruce property located at Fifty seventh street and First avenue, and
 the other being the city park and ad- jacent property, which can be ,pur- chased, which lies between Fiftyfourth 1 and Fifty-seventh streets and facing First evenue These properties are in 1 the center of Woodlawn also the very 1 heart of the territory to be supplied | by the school. In fact, it looks like these properties had been left prac- tically vacant for this very purpose and to place it elsewhere would be the gravest mistake. Pupils coming from East Birmingham, Avondale, Wood lawn, East Lake, Gate City and per lhaps Irondale from any direction north, south, east or west, could ride to the very doors in very few min utes without waits or transfers; be- sides the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company do not. issue trans fers on school tickets.
 To locate this school at Woodlawn on either of these properties, places it where it is accessible to a greater number without any car fare at all and where those who have to use the cars in coming can do so on school tickets as they will not need trans fers. To locate it at East Lake, as has been suggested, would force at least so per cent of the territory to be served to pay straight fare in order
 to obtain transfers or else walk a mile or more to the school after get ting off of the cars
 The argument that is being put up about this property at Woodlawn be- ing surrounded by the street cars, thereby creating too much noise, is very "f1imsey' indeed. Should either of these Locations be selected it would not be expected that the building should be
 built practically to the sidewalk as in
 the case of the high school in town,
 the Paul Hayne and Powell schools, and so on, as these Woodlawn proper ties are amply large and the building could and would be set back, thereby affording a nice recreation ground for pupils. Then, again, the city is clothed with ample power and authority to make all street cars passing this school run under slow bell'' during school hours.
 [ In addition to these locations de- sirability from an economic standpoint and from a civic one, we want it located where 1t can be seen, pointed out and admired by the public without hav
 ing to take a day off, as it were, to go
 to some isolated place to find it.
 Now, let's view this from prac-
 tical standpoint and locate it where it
 will serve the whole territory with the
 least inconvenience and least expense
 to the greatest number, even though
 the original cost should be a little
 more than if it was located elsewhere.
 We the people, voted this additional
 tax and we are the ones that are go-
 ing to pay it. Therefore, we are en-
 titled to some consideration in the To-
 eating of this school. H. H. THOMS.
 Birmingham, March "A. 1917, 5So3 Third avenue, south.