On a very cold, yet sunny morning we had ventured many miles, and somehow we ended up here to finish out the day! This small school house complex in the Midwest used to be the heart of learning in the area. At one time they even added an extra building here to accommodate the growing student enrollment numbers. This little school house complex has sat vacant for years. During that time vandals, scrappers, and taggers have all made their mark.
There have also been a few fires started on this site. In a few hallways there were plastic light shades that had melted and still hung from their light fixtures. Those bits of plastic were frozen in place as they cooled. They appeared to be flowing from the ceiling. These fires would’ve charred and burnt the surrounding halls increasing the ambient temperatures. Once it was hot enough the plastic would’ve melted and flowed slowly like hot taffy. Yet it did not get hot enough for the plastic to ignite. When we were here the floor was inches thick with damp piles of ceiling tile mush. That is really the only way to describe the funk we were walking on. It was very slick and not very stable.
There wasn’t much here to show it was a school other than the structure and some basic design elements. Most of all the books, desk, pcs and and smaller “school” details had already been removed. Still though, roaming these halls somehow felt familiar. As we made our way towards the exit, I noticed a light in the distance. As I followed that glow down a long hallway, I passed some gorgeous brickwork that was once hidden, but was now exposed due to the deterioration of the wall surfaces. There was a solid breeze and winter chill flowing through that same long hallway as I approached it’s end.
When I rounded that last corner I was greeted by the sight of a crumbing grade school basketball court! This court had seen better days, yet it still remained gorgeous. The were numerous “skylights” (holes in the ceiling) with tin or sheet metal banging in the breeze. I stepped out onto the court and the boards instantly started to disintegrate under my weight. Each step I took towards the center of the court seemed more treacherous than the last. While this place was still beautiful, it was a far cry from it’s glory days. I could easily imagine the grade school sports and laughter that had once filled this court.
Since it was early March, there was a ton of sun streaming through each uncovered window. This allowed light to come flooding into most places, but there were still many dark and shaded corners. Those Dark areas gave the illusion of something there. I’m not saying we weren’t alone, but there was a touch of uneasiness in these hallways! This was a fun and quick explore on a very cold morning. I tried and tried to locate more history on this school, but even the town it is located in, doesn’t have much remaining history for this site!
We hope to make it back to this site before it is demolished. That demo may take some time though. When one of the current owners made mention of turning this place in a church or religious site, all hopes of the city buying it back and a quick demolition went out the window. We Will be back to roam these fire damaged halls soon.
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Now this historic midwestern school through Jean’s lens! Sorry for any similar shots, we tend to like the same things.
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