|
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?
|
|
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.
|
