Evening star., 1940-03-19
School Replacement
Campaign 5purred
By Mrs. Roosevelt
New Facilities at Grant
First Asked in 1886,
Mrs. Doyle Recalls

Mrs. Roosevelt's visit to Grant
School yesterday spotlighted one of
the Oldest problems of the public
school system. Mrs. Henry Grattan
Doyle. president of the Board of
Education. said today.
At the same time. Senator Overton
of Louisiana, who made tour of
the same type of old school buildings
last June, said Mrs Roosevelt's trip
reaftirmed what he has been advo-
eating for more than a year-recon-
struction and consolidation of the
old elementary school buildings.
Confined to his home by the
grippe, Senator Overton said he was
very much in favor of going ahead
with school requirements. Last year
he sponsored program even more
extensive than the seven-year build
ing program recommended by the
special committee of officials whose
recent report asked for IA new build
ings to replace "a old ones.
Mrs. Roosevelt, who was accom-
panied by group of Congress mem
bers' wives. found Grant School
lin very bad shape" She pointed
out that the floors of the school are
so old that the building can't even
be kept clean
Money Declared Wasted.
IT'S extravagantly wasteful to
have this kind of structure in USE"
she said. Not only are you wasting
human material but also money
spent for overhead and maintenance
expenses"
Mrs. Doyle said today that new
facilities to replace Grant School
were first asked in 1896. She pointed
out that the third floor of the build
ing had to be closed permanently
several years ago because it consti-
tuted fire hazard and that the
recreational facilities were sadly
limited
The Board of Education" she
said, appreciates Mrs. Roosevelt's
intelligent. interest and the way in
which she Immediately realized that
the children of the neighborhood
are suffering because they don't
have as good educational and rec
reational facilities as they should" :"
She pointed out that elimination
of the antiquated building was also
an economy because one school with
one heating plant would be much
cheaper to operate than three old
schools that waste fuel
20-ROom Building Proposed.
In the report made by Capt J. l..
Person, Assistant Engineer Com
missioner; Maj. Daniel J. Donovan.
District auditor, and Supt. of
Schools Frank w. Ballou, a 20-room
elementary school building in the
vicinity of Washington Circle was
recommended to replace Grant,
Corcoran and Weightman Schools.
The committee. reported that
Grant School was an "obsolete struc-
ture." with old flooring, irregular
heat, drafty rooms, an obsolete ven-
tilating system, irregular intake of
fresh air, a lighting system so poor
that the glaring units strain the
pupils eyes. without assembly or
gymnasium and with only a poorly
ventilated basement for an indoor
playroom.
The report asserted that citizens
and patrons of Grant and the other
two schools have complained of the
insanitary conditions they have
found in these very old buildings"
Even though substantial sums of
money should be spent in the re-
habilitation of the Corcoran, Grant
and Weightman Schools" the report
stated, "the buildings would still be
inadequate and unsuitable for carry
ing on modern program of ele-
mentary school instruction"
According to the building plan
proposed, the site for the Corcoran-
Grant -Weightman project would be
purchased in 1945 and the building
constructed in 1916.
Mrs. Doyle said, however, that
building operations would be started
"just as soon as we get the money"