Evening star., 1925-03-12
SCHOOL, BUILDERS
START INQUIRY
Committee Leaves Tomor-
row to Visit Baltimore and
Philadelphia Systems.

Inree or baitlnOres newest publlc
schools will be visited by Washing
toms trio of school planners tomor-
row, when they begin tour OF In
spcction of school buildings in other
cities preparatory TO launching the
Districts unprecedented s1s,000,o0O
fve-year school building program.
The three schools have been select
ed by Supt Henry s. West of the Bal
timcre school system because they
represent the latest ideas in school
house construction. They are the
Forest Park Senior Junior High
School, in the Forest Park section;
School No. SO, an elementary building
also in the Forest Park Sc, ton, and
the clifton Park Junior High School,
in the southern corner OF Clifton
Park.
There are other schools already
produced in our new school building
program which would interest you,"
Supt. West wrote DR.. Frank w. Bal
lou, 'if you have the time after going
through the three I have suggested"
To Visit Philadelphia.
After inspecting the Baltimore
schools the committee, composed of
DIR. Ballou, Municipal Architect AL
bert l.. Harris and Ernest Greenwood
vice president of the Board of Edu-
alton and chairman of its buildings,
grounds and equipment committee,
will leave for Philadelphia, where on
Saturday they will visit schools sug-
gested by Supt Edwin c. Broome.
The committee will return to Wash
Ington Saturday night and continue
its survey in other cities the latter
part OF next week. The itinerary in
cludes Cleveland. Chicago, Detroit,
Rochester and Buffalo.
The Philadelphia schools which
Supt Broome has recommended for
inspection by the Washington school
planning committee include the Ger
mantown Frankford, Logan Demon
stration, an elementary building at
Seventeenth and Lindley streets, the
Roosevelt Junior High School and
the John Story Jenks Elementary
School.
Mr. Greenwood said today that he
will center his attention during the
inspection trip on the location OF
schools which he considers of utmost
Importance; what provisions have
been made for play space; types of
buildings, and cost, which he will con-
stantly compare with the District
schools. He also plans to make spe-
cial note of the amount of money
spent by the ether cities on purely
Architectural features.
SoHt SutS.
The committee has been advised to
note particularly what features have
been Incorporated in the new schools
in other cities to cut down the con-
struction costs. For instance, it was
pointed out, that some cities have
eliminated in the new buildings the
spacious cloakrooms, and substituted
for them large closets built in the
walls in the rear of classroom. This
feature has saved considera BILE space
and resulted in the more economical
construction of the building.
Schools in other cities, it also was
pointed out, have adopted new sys-
TENS in stairway construction, which
ire said to conserve space and at the
same time reduce the cost of con-
struction. These stairways, it was
said, are designed on the "one-way-
trafic" principles, the pupils going
up on one side and coming down on
the other. Another feature Is that
they are narrow and inclosed in fire.
proof glass.
All of these new features in school
house construction will be studied
carefully Il by the Districts school
planners with view to ascertaining
their advantages or disadvantages.
The best ideas probably will be in
cluded in the plans for Washington's
new schools to be erected under the
comprehensive fve-year building pro-
gram.
Expert Offers sugsestions.
Mr.. Greenwood has received from
John Ihlder of the Chamber of Com
merCe of the United States q letter
urging the committee to give consid-
Grafton of the relation of school
house erection to city planning and
the zoning system. Mr.. Ihlder also
offered, on behalf of the chamber of
commerce, to extend any assistance
the committee felt inclined to call
upon that body for.
Mr. Ihlder said that school buildings,
so far as possible, should be on minor
streets, and should be so located that
all, or as large a proportion as prac-
ticable. of its pupils may live in a dis
trict bounded by main traffic streets,
so that they will not need to cross
these main traffic streets
The school buildings" declared Mr..
Ihlder, should be placed toward the
outer edge OF the school districts, not
toward the inner edge, so that pupils
who use street cars or busses will go
counter to the regular traffic loads
morning and evening. Sites should be
selected so far in advance that the
schools may have adequate play ground
space appurtenant thereto"
Mr.. Ihlder's letter was commended by
lighted that the United States Chamber
OF Commerce was taking an interest in
the local school situation.