Published January 31, 2008
The Sheridan Middle School building has been demolished.
The old Hudson Elementary School is gone, too. So are the old high school buildings
in Buffalo, Burns, Lander, Rock Springs and Upton.
That, says Mary Humstone, a research scientist in the University of Wyoming's American
Studies program, is a shame.
"It's like a steamroller going through the state," says Humstone. "I can't even keep
track of it anymore, but there's been 30 or 40 schools destroyed in the last three
or four years. The sad thing is, it's not just a building that's been destroyed, it's
our history."
To help preserve cultural heritage across the state, Humstone believes Wyoming citizens
must band together to seek alternatives to razing historic school buildings that link
generations and serve as cornerstones in their respective communities.
In February, Humstone will lead a two-part class titled "Saving Your School: The Community
Value of Historic School Buildings." The cost is $30 per person for both sessions,
or $20 per person for one session. To register for the class, call the UW Community
Enrichment Programs office at (307) 766-6802 or go to the Web site at outreach.uwyo.edu/enrichment
.
The class begins Saturday, Feb. 9, with a discussion facilitated by Humstone on the
cultural significance of historic school buildings and techniques for preservation.
The 9 a.m. discussion will be available statewide via video conference. For statewide
discussion locations, call Heather Landers at (307) 766-6801 or e-mail cse_enrichment2@uwyo.edu.
The second part of the class, Saturday, Feb. 16, is a field day to visit historic
schools in Laramie.
Through the class, Humstone hopes to rally support to save the few remaining historic
school buildings in Wyoming, including Natrona County High School in Casper, built
in 1928, and Elk Mountain Elementary School and Triumph High School in Cheyenne, both
built in 1941.
All three school buildings -- along with about 30 others around the state built before
1955 -- face uncertain futures. The list of endangered schools also includes East
Junior High School in Rock Springs, built in 1933, and Sinclair Elementary School,
built in 1936.
As an alternative to demolition, Humstone urges local school districts to consider
renovation, which, she says, is not always more expensive than new construction. Plus,
she says, renovation reduces the environmental impact of producing new building materials
and conserves landfill space.
Humstone cites a recent study by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Pennsylvania
Schools Boards Association and the Pennsylvania Historic Schools Task Force as proof
that renovation is cost effective. That study shows the cost of renovation at $114
per square foot compared to $212 per square foot for new construction.
In Wyoming, however, Humstone says state appropriations from the School Facilities
Commission that allow for generous funding for the construction of new schools, coupled
with a lack of public awareness, has led to mass destruction of the state's historic
school buildings.
In their place, Humstone says, are new buildings that "look like jails" and lack the
architectural significance of older buildings.
In Pine Bluffs, for example, the senior prom is still held inside the old high school,
now used as a community center, "because it's much nicer than the new high school,"
Humstone says with a smile.
"We need to spread the message that our historic school buildings can be adapted and
renovated and still make excellent facilities," says Humstone. "We don't need to destroy
history."
She adds, "I've had people say to me, ‘Not every building deserves to be saved because
it's old.' I like to turn that around and say, ‘You're right, but not every building
deserves to be torn down because it's old.'"
The two-part class is sponsored by UW Community Enrichment Programs.
Posted on Thursday, January 31, 2008