They sure
don't build 'em like this anymore. High ceilings, wide halls, 5-foot wide
by 7-foot high
windows
on lead sash weights that still slide open and closed with ease after almost
80 years.
Quality materials assembled with craft, precision, and thoroughness that
bespeak human-ness;
the feeling one gets is that it was put together by hands, not prefabricated
by machines to a set
of industry standard dimensions. Even the insides of tiny utility closets
were finished with trim.
I guess by today's standards such attention would be considered inefficient.
And I really don't
know much about the social conditions back then. How wide was the gap between
poor and rich?
Was this grand
building in keeping with the neighborhood, or did it serve as an inspiration
to the
destitute to improve themselves through public education? What happened during
the Depression?
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We've
been salvaging a lot of precious resources at
Cleveland High School--slate and fir cabinets,
CVG boards, trim, doors, shelves. I used to think, Wow, this beautiful
material almost was wasted. I
still think it's good we save it, but now I think about the trees that this
wood used to be. The sun on
the leaves, the rain in the roots. The birds, squirrels, bugs, spiders, and
other critters. The school,
built in 1927, was impressive as public institutions used to be, but I get
to wondering about what
was taught here. Who did those lessons in patriotism, obedience, and the
myth of progress serve?
Why should government be in charge of children? I always thought school was
a prison. Still do.
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