Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1921-04-05
SCHOOL BOARD NAMES
WALLER AS ARCHITECT


Antonio were selected as architects
for the new junior high school and
other school constructor work by the
board of education this morning. The
board also announced that deal had
practically been completed for lots
adjacent to the present high school
campus, to the eastward where the
junior building will be erected.
Mr.. Waller agreed to start work
at once to draw plans for the build
ing, which, the board has decided,
will be made public for the opinion OF
taxpayers before final decisions ara
made The architect has agreed to
make no charge for his services if the
$4,000 bond election should fail to
carry. Afterward he will charge the
customary five per cent for the work.
AS the carrying Of the bond isue
appears to be certainty and as avail
able reports indicate there will be no
delay in selling the bonds at good
figure, the board is going ahead on
the assumption that the new buildings
can be ready for occupancy by the
beginning Of the next school year.
Representatives of five architec-
tural firms apeared before the board
last night, one at time, each outlin-
ing his ideas Of the kind of building
desired. Besides the Waller firm they
were r. w. Muhlhausen of San Ben
to Smith < Kelly, San Antonio, 4.
J. Bailey & Co., Inc. Houston and II.
r. Kuehne Of Austin. The board then
took a vote and decided to award the
contract to the Walters.
This firm is well known in the VAL
ley. II designed the new McAllen,
Edinburg and Pharr-San Juan schools
the Casa Blanca hotel at McAllen, re-
modelled the Hidalgo county court
house at Edinburg and has designed
school buildings in Houston, Fort
Worth, Dallas and other Texas cities.
Mr.. Waller is a proponent of the
one-story type of building as best
adapted to the climatic conditions OF
the Valley. and in this, il Is under
stood his ideas coincided with those OF
the board of education. Superinten-
dent Yoe in his last monthly report
also declared in favor of this type
after inspecting specimens OF IT IN
the other Valley cities.
Secretary Starck said that n deal
for the property adjacent to the high
school had been made with the Still
man estate thru Mrs. NJ. H. Forto
and included blocks l0a, 29a, goa, and
half of 3la in the Stillman addition.
The building itself is TO be construct
cd on lOa, facing Palm boulevard be-
tween Adams and jefferson streets.
The school board and other tax
payers, Mr.. Stark declared, will soon
present a petition to the city com-
missioners asking that Adams street
between Palm boulevard and Still
man street, distance Of two blocks,
and St. James, between Elizabeth
and jefferson, distance OF three
blocks be closed 50 n to throw all
the school property there into a sim
gle campus. This could be done, he
pointed out, without detriment to
traffic as the streets mentioned lead
into the swale back Of the school
property.
This arrangement would give the
school a solid plot Of ground 'front.'
ing on Elizabeth street and Palm
| boulevard, except Tor half block on
/ Elizabeth. 1t had been hoped to OBJ
tain this also. he said, but II has
been found impossible to make q
] satisfactory deal.
The plans for the grammer school.
! upon which Mr. Waller is starting to
work, include such remodeling as
will make il practically new build
! ing Some Of the wooden galleries
will be moved, ~ooms will be added
to the brick building, windows will
be torn out and a modern lighting
and ventilating system will replace
them. The ten wooden shacks will be
Used as store rooms until the whole
work is completed, when they will be
disposed Of In the event all the
buildings are not ready for occupan-
cy BY the beginning Of the next term
these shacks can be used for tenn
porary class rooms.
The plans include the addition OF
four rooms 10 the Fourth Ward
buildings and a four room building
located as nearly as possible in the
center Of the $4,000 acres Of the FL
Jardin tract embraced within this
school district.
The board IL bending all its ener-
gies towards cxpediting all the pre-
limnarics 20 that work can start as
soon as the bond election is over.
ReasSuring information from the
money market for good school Sc
curities, especially at the six per
cent rate authorized IN the legislas
ture, leads the board to l1l:eve tha1
the money will soon b. .railable..mI