Erasmus Hall High School - Arch Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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STU E numerous,-well-lighted rooms, modern offices, spacious corridors, and an ele- vator! Needless to say, barriers were passed in secret by independent souls and the wonder explored from roof to basement, receiving the unanimous ap- proval of these self-appointed critics. September was to bring to successful completion a long-awaited dream. In the fall of l94U, an entering fresh- man, admitted for the first time through the portals of Erasmus I-lall, saw in the Snyder Avenue building the antithesis of what he had been led to expect,- no more chicken run, no muddy cam- pus, no crowded study halls with desks inscribed with the witticisms of count- less bored scholars. On the contrary, something new and refreshing greeted him,-landscaped surroundings, broacl cement walks, comfortable classrooms, and adequate coat closets. The stoic senior, by way of contrast, inured to the former, observed the innovations with amazement and made a more ob- jective comment, You know, Ioe, they've actually got a few rooms on the top floors now that don't leak when it rains! He might have mentioned, with equal emphasis that the inunda- tion of mud and turbid water, affection-t ately designated as a campus by the uninitiated in former years, was a thing of the past, no longer to waylay the unwaryg that the flagpole had been moved to the center of the carn- pus, that the chimney of the original old academy, grown weary and weak, now needed the support of a pair of long beams as crutches in its old age, or, that the new wing was equipped with drinking fountains where you could really quench your thirst. If he

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STUBY lust two years ago, on the twenty- fourth of May, incessant hammer blows reminded the few students still housed in the Old Building that a fence was being erected, that demolition to re- move all but the original structure was under way, that the oft-mentioned res- toration process had begun. Even the most curious found it difficult to investi- gate, and Erasmians were denied ac- cess to the gravel-covered rear campus except during changes of periods. With- in a week the most ingenious student was unable to see much of the drama which was being enacted, although an occasional shatter of glass or crash of lumber announced only too clearly the passing of the most familiar of Erasmus y institutions. By the second day of Iune, most of the preliminary work had been completed and everything, -- desks, blackboards, cabinets, and even some of the roofing material - had been spirited away. Floors, wall sections and plaster soon followed, while, to the south, excavation for the new building had begun,fas many Erasmians discovered by lunch-period reconnaissance. ln another two weeks, the southernmost wing of the traditional structure had vanished, accompanied by a large portion of the first and second stories of the remaining wings. On lune 22 or thereabouts, the last erect fragment, the brick chimney, tumbled to earth to lie with the remains of what had served as both a home and school to several hundred students during most of the nineteenth century. Exuberant students, fresh from two months of vacation, found on returning to the Old Gray School that a great change had been wrought in their Alma Mater. The old had passed into oblivion, the new had taken its place and stone and sand supplanted the debris of destruction. As weeks passed, as girders crept skyward, as a metal skeleton was clad in gothic beauty, sornef thing of a collegiate atmosphere was imparted to Erasmus f-fall. Light, clean masonry obscured the ugly, dark brick walls on the south, and the old school was forever parted from the outside world. As the days lengthened and the school year drew to a close, enthusiasm was apparent, speculation rampant. Advance reports of the marvels to be found in the new building were

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had been more intellectually inclined he would undoubtedly have noticed the beautifully equipped and lighted library, so soon to become a mecca for all and a truly fitting place to preserve and display our rich collection of records and relics. Then too, there was the much-needed girls' gym and accompany- ing locker accommodations, numerous art studios, additional classroom space, a modern infirmary, and many other necessary improvements. On the top floor, the band had a practice room, all to itself, where it was hoped that martial strains would no longer disturb the tranquillity of well-ordered classes. ln the basement was a shop for industrial arts, wood working, metal crafts, etc. and, on the first floor near an elaborate exhibit hall, a model apartment and kitchen to fascinate those with a yen for home economics and to provide refreshments for visitors, But what probably elicited the most praise was an elevator, rendered none the less intriguing by the fact that official sanction was necessary for its use. ln the eyes of the average Desiderian, the new building was a modern miracle, the fulfillment of a long cherished desire, Frame has become stone and steel, and now a city stands where once, well over a century ago, lay only a few farms and a village school. Yesterday it was a little school with a roster of twenty-six students, today a school of 7,000 students! The original academy now stands empty, awaiting restoration, in an imposing position in the center of a campus of trees and turf, sentinelled by ivy-covered walls. Nearly fifty years ago, the little wooden structure had ceased to be adequate for educational purposes, and even additions had proved incapable of absorbing the influx of students, when in l896, the Academy became a city high school. In the years which followed, by l906 to be exact, the Flatbush Avef nue building was finished, sucf ceeded by extensions along . , Church and Bedford Avenues in l9ll and l925. Finally on November 19, l940 the quad- rangle was completed. Slowly but surely, just as stone had eclipsed the simple structure, so had it been removed from a material center of attraction. Seasoned by years of service it was elevated to the position of symbolism and respect en- joyed by all that is traditional. ln the years to come Eras- mus' sons can expect to be justly proud of their Alma Mater. The scholar on the ped- estal, with weather-beaten countenance, will survey an outwardly altered scene. The historic old building will have been renovated and shifted to