The Wilmington morning star., 1947-06-08
MEMPHIS PAPER
' PROVES POINT
end, Efficient Use OF Pub
I T., buildings A Money
Saver
Bv NEA SERVICE

pp0lac; os throughout the country
r 'I1inns Of public dollars.
'l ILL., Memphis Press scimitar
Ia s This to be true in Memphis.
aaau County and the state OF
SbaOy Ii is equally true in
Tenn .I, every other city and state.
psaE4y like most cities, has
aorjng over the drawing
been 3s blaming new public build
5oaGp - provide more public serv-
Mas w, its citizens. These build
i'e' would have cost the public
r 1a55sons Of dollars. The Press ,raas
aI. ,I+ar found that most Of these
Scl l.oss could be provided by
'. .'1;na buildings already built. 1t
s.-nd that if new buildings must
"1l Sl,i1t they should be planned
~ p sli-around, all-year use
Mo Press Scimitar backcc up
nlan with examples of what
w. communities are doing on a
mailer scale
At R~hinebeck, N. Y. for ex-
nIo tbe Central School was laid
a. TO double as a community
W. Saa+er, Facilities planned for fire.
s"an+ public use were put to-
ssthpr: the kitchen was built TO
ssrve the gymnasium, the audi
.ariurn or the cafeteria.
u+chfield Consolidated School in
vsvne County, M C h., wss
Manned SO that the agricultural
;snartment would be adjacent to
detrimental gardens. The can
,srv was planned for farmers
no and the shops to aid farmers
~sintain their mechanical equip
ment. These all are done without
itprfering with the schools pri-
narv lob of teaching youngsters.
Portland, Ore, planned its new
rrpston School SO thar the public
can get to the kindergarten.
rrrsery, auditorium and Gymnasi-
I'm without going through the
school section. The gymnasium
fronts or a public playground al
rsdv in operation.
This planning Tor joint school
vublic use did not increase the
rst, the Press-Sc:mltar found. It
lust required a little forethought.
and it was found that it is not
necessary to wait until a new
school is being Guilt. Casey, ILL.,,
has made a youth center of its
Junior high school. The children
themselves equipped the center
with money raised by such activi-
ties as school carnivlis. They put
n ping : pong, shuttle Board, a
Photographic studio.
Now the building is not locked
up when classes are over. Young
folks who used to hang AROUND
street corners, Tor want of any
better place, use the school for
games, dancing AMI other whole
Iorne recreation.
The sort of planning and utili-
zation which has been suggested
for Memphis, and has met with
the approval of both civic and Of
fetal groups, is in line with what
enlightened city planners have ad-
wcated for some time.
It ought, they say. to be easier
to understand and WORK out now
than before the war, because so
much Of it was done, of neces-
'lty, during the war.
When the demands of war indus
Try moved hundreds of thousands
Of families into new communities,
agercrowding most of them, the
Federal Security Agency spon-
sNed the spare-time use of public
buildings for social and recre-
itlonal purposes.
Armories were used in Fitch
tuTg, Mass, for servicemen's
in Providence, R. l., for
overnight lodging; in Brattleboro,
Vt, and Socoro, N. NJ, for COM
fnunlty recreation centers; in
Claremont, N. H., or organized
basketball; in Camden and Ben
nsttsVllle, S. c., for dances and
community sings.
The Racine, Wis, Memorial Hall
ceased standing Sin silent tribute"
&c heroes of other wars, and be-
came a recreation center. An
abandoned courthouse in POGO
Aontas, Ark, was turned into a
serVlcemen's center as were an
vu hospital in Oklahoma City, a
Ss5eFted post office at Enid, Okla,
d nuddhlst Temple a. San Diego.
-. Inc second floor of the Perry
Vile Nd, firehouse was used for
~,'nlnunlty' suppers and games.
IN abandoned railroad station at
evansville became a recreation
Center.
Inc Memphis Plan' never has
y '1!l expressed in formal phrases.
y hasn't even been formalized or
ssHEled with a name. But what
N proposed here-and what many
tts!ppnians think other communi-
NY might we'll consider-is only
psdcetlme application Of lessons
'eusht by Wartin7e shorto