I traveled out of town last week to photograph this beautiful junior high school building for a National Register of Historic Places nomination. Soon after I took this shot I was met at the front door by the school maintenance supervisor. I commented on how great the building looked and its fantastic condition. He told me he thought the building was old and obsolete and should be torn down and replaced with a new building. I was a bit dumbstruck. Maybe from his perspective it was a lot to handle, but that solution seemed extreme.
Most people don't see the value of old buildings, I guess,
I think we should do the same with old janitors.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad that so many people feel that way. Sometimes I feel as if we have such a disposable culture...
ReplyDeleteExactly the same feelings of the Kansas City School District - tear down beautifully constructed buildings and replace them with crap that all looks institutional. Thus -- the original Paseo High School was destroyed and in it's place, a building that Kansas City really can't afford to maintain.
ReplyDeleteLuckily, Kansas City Kansas does not do the same -- i.e. Wyandotte High School, also on the historic register.
Your photo is goreous! MGW
Wow. I went to Middle School there in the 80's. Independence, Kansas perhaps? looking back, it was such a cool building. It has 2 gyms. Marble everywhere. You can see the old bell tower at the left where the old Junior High once stood when this building was the High School. If you heard the words "Meet me at the bell tower, 3 o'clock," you knew a fight was going to go down.
ReplyDeleteStumbled on your blog and now I'm up way toooo late into the evening. I grieve for the buildings that were torn down even before I was born!
ReplyDeleteJean