Evening star., 1925-03-15
NEW SCHOOLS HERE
MUST PLEASE EYE
Artistic Buildings in Other
Cities Deeply Impress In
vestigators for District.

If Washington is to have a school
system that will serve as a monu-
ment to public education in America,
serious attention will have to be
given to the esthetic treatment of
the new buildings erected under the
huge $4,000 900 five-year building
program. This was the unanimous
opinion of the Districts committee
of school planners which returned
home last night after a two-day sur
vey OF modern educational plants in
Baltimore and Philadelphia
The committees tour of inspection
in Philadelphia yesterday served
primarily to emphasize the fact which
became evident in Baltimore Friday
that the trend in modern school con-
struction is very definitely toward the
artistic-not pretentious, but simple
and disnified type of building. Two
of the three buildings inspected
stressed this simplicity in beautiful
architecture in the interior as well
as the exterior. Moreover, the ornate
artistic landscape treatment of their ap-
proaches.
Built on Elevation.
Elevated on verdant knolls. about
20 feet above the street elevation and
surrounded by a low wall of Penn
sylvania field stone, these two build
ings, the Roosevelt Junior High
School and the John Story jerks Ele-
mentary School, present an imposing
picture blocks distant. In such sharp
contrast to some of Washington's
unattractive schools, the spectacle
made deep impression on Supt.
Frank w. Ballou, Municipal Architect
Albert l.. Harris and Ernest Green
wood, vice president of-the Board of
Education. The trio agreed that the
ornamental side of school construc-
ton should not be overlooked in
planning the new buildings provide I'd
IN the hve-year project.
The committee was also amaz.d AZ
the vast size of the Fairgrounds ad-
Joining Philadelphia new schools
The space devoted to outdoor recrea-
tional facilities in two instances,
covered an area greater than the
structures occupied
Philadelphia obviously has taken
great pride in these Fairgrounds. The
greater portion of them have a con-
crete surface, something which only
one Washington school can boast
These Fairgrounds are we'll equipped,
even to the point of conveniently To-
Gated drinking fountains.
Private Phone Systems.
Two novel features, which caupbt
the attention of the committee in the
Phliadelphia schools, are intercom-
municating telephone systems and
electric power plants, both of which
are standard equipment in the new
buildings. The telephone system.
Whlch connects every room with the
principals off1ce, will be recommend
ed for installation in the Districts
new Junior high school.
Mr. Harris, however, will return
TO Philadelphia soon to study further
the electric power plants in the
schools before making any recon-
mendatfon on this feature. Althoush
Philadelphia has found 1t more eco
nomical to produce its school light
ing and power current, Mr.. Harris
believes that such plan would prov.
costly in the District.
Like Baltimore, Philadelphia is in
the midst of gigantic school con-
struction program, and before its
completion will have spent between
sao,ooo,oo0 and $40, 5000 on new
schools. Large sums of money for
school buildings are raised easily in
Philadelphia when compared with the
animated and red tape" procedure OF
procuring school appropriation In
Washington.
In Philadelphia the school board
decides on the amount needed for ad-
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