Central High School - Doubloon Yearbook (Columbus, OH)

Page 18 text:

I Pg F ... so . age'-'B The High School Building ,Q hw HE high school building, on the southeast corner of Broad J L' ' 7 and Sixth Streets was opened for the reception of pupils on Q, 0 gg Monday September 8 1862 being the day for the com .ag Ji . . lg-134 , ,ff 2 , , , ' - giSV,QQT,,2,, mencement of the fall term of the public schools. This edifice is one of the finest school buildings in the United States, and one of the chief architectural ornaments to our city. It is Romanesque in style. It is built of red brick, with cut Waverly stone dressings, galvanized iron cornices, and slate roof. The main building is one hundred feet long by sixty broad, with a central transept twenty feet wide, projecting twelve feet on each side. There is a beautiful tower at the northwest corner, rising about one hundred and fifty feet above the pavement. Wide halls run through the building, and the stairways are spacious and of easy access. At the intersection of the corridors in the center of the building there is an octagonal bay, which runs up through the two stories of recitation rooms, and the arrangement is such that the principal can have every department under his observation and within his call from the gallery surrounding this bay or 'well-hole' in the second story. There is a capacity in the different rooms for the accommodation of two hundred and fifty pupils. On the first floor are superintendent's room in the tower, three large school rooms, and a laboratory and apparatus room. The second floor has three school rooms, and a commodious library and reading room. The third floor is appropriated to form one large hall for general exercise, public exhibitions, lectures, etc. This hall is elegantly fin- ished, and is one of the finest audience rooms in the city. The pupils enter the school rooms through small ante-chambers used for cloak rooms. In an upper room of the tower is a large tank supplied with water from the roof. This water, by means of pipes, is carried all over the building, and there is a lavatory in each cloak room. All parts of the building are supplied with gas. The arrangements for warmth and ventilation are all but perfect. The furniture in the school rooms is of the latest and most approved forms. The entire cost of the building, at the time of its completion, was set down at twenty-five thousand dollars. A few years later the board, probably anticipating the growth of the school, purchased some ground to the east and in 1877 an addition of six rooms was erected. Again in 1890 an addition of three stories and basement was made across the back of the school. The first story contained a reception room and two large school rooms. The second story had two large

Page 17 text:

-5. Jn Sis P 3? 43:37 state street Years 1853-1862 Tpgfglipri plot of ground on State Street where the present Admin- istration Building stands was purchased in 1852 and a plain brick building, 60 by 70 feet, containing three stories and lQi'f QQ.g2. basement, was erected at a cost of S15,000. To this building, called the State Street School, the High School previously located in the Reformed Church, was moved in 1853. In 1870 this old building was condemned and torn down and in 1871 the Sullivant Building was erected. In the State Street Building the course of study consisted of a full English Course, a Business Course, and an Academic Course. During the first year 150 pupils were enrolled and the average attendance was 100. ' Dr. Asa D. Lord was superintendent for the first few months after the school was moved and was succeeded by D. P. Mayhew, who served for less than two years. Erasmus D. Kingsley was superintendent from 1865 until the school was moved to its larger home. No Alumni Association was ever formed. Later, after the new Columbus High School was opened at Broad and Sixth Streets on September 8, 1862, the graduates of the State Street School became a part of the Alumni Association formed by the pupils of the new high school. Activities were few and such things as a school paper or magazine were unheard of. Graduation exercises were held at Bigelow Chapel, which Was, at that time, a Methodist church, at Third Street and Cherry Alley. This building is now owned by Max Rieser and is used as a garage. COLUMBUS HIGH SCHOOL 1862-1893 In the spring of 1859 the lot on the corner of Broad and Sixth Streets, including the stone foundation which had been intended for a church, was purchased of Trinity Church for the sum of 58,820 Major W. B. Kelly drew the plans for the building which forms the main part of the present High School building and the structure was ready for occupancy in the fall of 1862. The building cost 323,400 and accommo- dated about three hundred pupils. No better description of the school as it appeared at that time can be given than that taken from Studer's History of Columbus, pub- lished in the seventies. age Thirteen

Page 19 text:

i x 11 if-gm Page Fifteen : 2 all -,l school rooms and a prin- cipal's office and the third story contained the chem- istry laboratory, a lecture room and a class room. In the fall of 1862, when the new Columbus High School was occupied, there was no special celebration to mark the occasion. A graduate of that class, when asked to explain this apparent omission, said, The pupils were so glad to have an entire building to themselves instead of the one floor and two rooms they had occupied in the State Street School, that they felt a celebration was not necessary. Every morning the pupils marched up to chapel for songs and prayer. Essays written by the pupils, six or eight each week, were read in the Chapel every Friday. Often the topics were assigned, but occasionally this was left to the choice of the students. Pen, ink and paper were used only for the compositions written on Fridays, graduation exercises, and in examinations. Slates sufficed for all class work. The girls had gymnastics on Fridays in the Chapel. For these exercises they wore red blouses and black skirts. Anyone receiving below 50 in his examinations was considered a failure in his school work. The school year, which started in September, was held for a period of nine months. School hours were from nine to twelve and from two to four. The ancient pump, which is still standing in the east yard, fur- nished drinking water for the school. In the first class to be graduated from this building in 1863 there were only twelve pupils, nine girls and three boys. The commencement exercises, in which each graduate took part, were held in the Chapel, GEORGE H, TWISS First Principal of this Building