447 West St. – Reno, Nevada
In 1878, Reno’s school system consisted of Bishop Whitaker’s School for Girls on Eighth Street, Mount St. Mary’s Academy on Center Street, and a public school at First and Sierra Streets. The school district recognized the need for expansion and passed a resolution in March of that year to explore options for new schoolhouses both north and south of the river.
The building at First and Sierra was in poor condition and the site for its replacement consisted of just over half a block between what was then Chestnut (now Arlington) and West Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets.
The purchase was finalized in March of 1879.
Reno Savings Bank agreed to purchase approximately $20,000 of school bonds to fund construction. The district approved plans submitted by architect A. A. Cook of Sacramento on August 2, 1879.
Bids were solicited the following week and the contract was awarded to I. T. Benham, who was expected to finish construction by January 1, 1880. That was most definitely not going to happen. Benham was tasked with building a two-story brick schoolhouse with a basement containing eight classrooms with a tower and mansard roof.
Daily Nevada State Journal, October 5, 1879, 3. Newspapers.com.
The corner stone was laid on October 4, 1879 but construction was delayed by severe weather throughout the winter. Finally, the tower and mansard roof were painted reddish brown with gray accents. Redwood exterior trim was painted gray and the interior was finished with stained sugar pine. Furniture, including seating for 408 students, was ordered in August of 1880. The bell was moved from the old building on August 13. A public open house was held the weekend before the new term began on September 6, 1880.
This school initially housed all grades so classes for the smaller children were located on the main floor. High school classes were held upstairs with some math classes in the basement. The basement also had a sort of makeshift science laboratory. It appears a wood outhouse was constructed at the south end of the property adjacent to the alley.
As the district grew, this building became known as Central School. The facility itself also grew. By early 1894, the schoolhouse was completely overcrowded and the district acknowledged a need for more space. An additional $10,000 bond issue was approved by voters in December of that year. A four-room annex was added to the north end of the building in 1895.
It didn’t take long for this expanded building to once again run out of room. By January of 1904, the small bookkeeping room was used as a classroom and the principal’s office was used as a recitation room. Central School had also fallen into disrepair. In May of 1906, pupil Mildred Holcolm’s shoulder was struck and bruised by falling plaster.
That December, the City of Reno’s health officer delivered a scathing report on the state of the Central building in particular, noting the presence of leaky sewer pipes among other hazards.
A special election was held in October of 1908 and voters approved a $100,000 bond issue to make improvements across the district. However, no immediate action was taken. In August of 1909, Judge William D Jones called the Central School building “…an eyesore, a menace and a disgrace to the citizens of Reno.” School board President Dr. M. R. Walker said the building was a “death trap” due to the poor condition of the building as well as the severe overcrowding.
The district finally advertised for plans in December of 1910. The following January, the school board had SIXTEEN architects submit plans for review. George A Ferris was the successful candidate.
As students were finishing up their last year in the Central School building, a fire broke out in a basement laboratory in May of 1911. No injuries were reported.
Despite all of this, the school continued to operate with the last class finishing up closing exercises in June of 1911. Contractor W. G. McGinty began demolition that summer. During construction, displaced students were temporarily relocated to other properties throughout Reno. The cornerstone was laid on November 25, 1911. Building was temporarily halted in January of 1912 due to a strike by bricklayers. Labor stoppages continued throughout the spring.
In July of 1912, the Gray, Reid, Wright Co. was awarded the contract for equipping the science labs and manual training areas. The school was meant to be completed in time for the fall term in September but students reported to Whitaker Hall on Seminary Hill as finishing work continued.
The new high school reportedly cost $140,000 to $150,000, depending on the source, and was constructed in the Spanish Renaissance style. The structure was in the shape of an E with a planned capacity of around 500 students. Exterior brick was finished with white cement and colored tiles.
Interior woodwork was slash-grained Oregon fir with maple floors. The school had a 900-seat gymnatorium with a large stage and three sets of scenes. The basement held labs as well as domestic and industrial arts. Located on the first floor were offices for the high school as well as the school board and 14 classrooms plus a library and large study hall. The tower rooms were for science and geography classes.
Approximately 240 students reported to the new school on December 2, 1912 with an open house on Friday, December 13.
This postcard shows the gold lettering over the main entrance as well as the tiles with gold and light blue accents around the windows.
The building was later enlarged with an addition at the back of the building for a bigger stage and more elaborate scenery. Exterior stairs made of reinforced concrete were also added to comply with evolving fire and safety codes.
Reno continued to grow and this school also became severely overcrowded. The district began exploring locations for a new high school in the 1940s. It took about six years to complete the process but the Class of 1951 was the last to graduate from the Reno High School on West Street.
The school district dropped their traditional junior and senior high configuration for the 1951-52 school year so the old high school, in a return to its roots, was renamed Central Intermediate School. This meant elementary schools served kindergarten through fourth grade with fifth through eighth grades at the intermediate school.
Additional classrooms were added to the back of the south wing and the building eventually had a capacity of 800 students. By 1959, 830 students were enrolled and growth in the district continued. The white cement finish was painted cascade aquamarine blue in August of 1961. Brighter interior colors were also added along with fluorescent lighting. The 1960s also brought a change back to the junior and senior high school arrangement so the school was called Central Junior High School.
The building reached the end of its use with the completion of Swope Junior High School on Keele Drive in early 1966. It was left vacant that March and demolition was approved in June of 1966 but work was delayed because the district wanted the buyer to handle the demo. The large property was divided into six parcels that December and they were listed for sale by January of 1967.
As the building sat in limbo, it burned for five hours on Thanksgiving Day in 1967. All utilities had been disconnected so investigators believed it was caused by kids. Three firefighters were injured.
Demolition finally began once the structure was deemed safe enough and work was completed in the Spring of 1968.
This is how the site of the former Reno High School looks today:
It’s a shame this building had to go but there was only so much that could be done with a structure of this size and age in the 1960s. We’re extremely fortunate that techniques for repurposing these properties have become so popular, not to mention the grants and tax credits which enable them. In later posts, I will delve into the establishments which were constructed on the former Reno High School property as well as the drama which ensued.
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