Hammond Technical Vocational High School - Chart Yearbook (Hammond, IN)

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A GRAND OLD BUILDING On a grand September day in the year 1893, the doors of a beautiful, new modern school were thrown open to admit its first classes. It was a beautiful red-brick building was and furnished with the latest, most modern equipment. It was situated in the heart of the young city of Hammond on the southeast corner of Hohman and Fayette Streets and was surrounded by a large iron picket fence. This building was called Hammond Central School. It housed a group of elementary school students and also became the home of Hammond Central High School. When the high school outgrew its capacity it was moved to the present location on Calumet Avenue and was called Hammond Industrial High School, later shortened to Hammond High School. When the need for a vocational high school became apparent, in 1919, Mr. F. S. Barrows established a small vocational school in a room on the third floor of Central School. Mr. Barrows’ school began with one classroom, one student, and one teacher, Mary Dwyer. As the enrollment of the school grew, the schedule for classes became more regular; the boys met for class in the morning and the girls in the afternoon, two times a week. All of the students were part-time students. The school expanded rapidly and in September 1922, the Hammond Technical Vocational High School was formally established. In 1923, the building was moved from Hohman Street to 231 Russell Street and the following year seven boys received their diplomas. To provide room for more shops and classrooms, a new addition, which we know as the Girls’ Department, was erected in 1925. This was also the year that the first ' Chart’ was published. Students from all over the city began to come to Tech. It was incon- venient for all of the students to bring a lunch to school and the lunch hour was too short to go to town for lunch. In response to the demand for a good, warm meal at a reasonable price, the cafeteria was established in 1926. It provides good food for students at prices they can easily afford. Hammond people realized the advantages of sending future citizens to a school that not only trains the minds, but also the hands. Increased enroll- ment and the need for more shops caused the school to spread out. First, auto shop moved across the alley; next, auto sheet metal and plumbing moved to Fayette Street; then, drafting shop and avocation moved across the street; and finally, the auto and aviation shops moved to Russell Street across the tracks. For endless years there has been talk of building a new Technical High School. This project, track elevation, and widening of Hohman Street came up before every city election and died immediately afterward. But now, what was once a dream has become a reality. In September 1950, the new Ham- mond Technical Vocational High School will be ready for occupancy. The ' New Tech’ will have modern classrooms and shops. It will have a double-sized gymnasium with power-operated dividing doors so that it can be made into two smaller gymnasiums, one for the boys and one for the girls . It will ultimately contain a cafeteria and an auditorium and a wonder- ful football practice field. It has been our privilege to watch ' the old’ change into ' the new.’