General

Jefferson Union Is Now Edison

 

Today’s blog post is about a school building in Ohio. A photograph of that building that I took a couple of years ago was my most recent art challenge image titled Art Deco School Building.

The school, a three story brick structure was designed with an Art Deco look. It features symmetrical rows of windows. The central entrance features ornate brick work and is built out a few feet from the remainder of the building.

The first floor is partially below ground level. Originally the front facade had wide brick and concrete stairs descending from the main entrance on the second floor of the building. Sometime in recent years those stairs were removed and long concrete ramps with metal railings were constructed leading down from the entrance on both sides of the main doors.

The school is located in a rural area on State Route 152 north of Richmond, Ohio. It was built in 1938-1939 and has been used continually as a school since it opened. A gymnasium, one story building with classrooms, a cafeteria and a new office were built on the south side of the original building, probably in the 1950s judging by the style of architecture that was used.

The school was called Jefferson Union High School from 1939-1988. Locals and rivals knew the school as JU. School colors for JU were Brown and Gold with Yellow Jackets being the mascots.

As populations changed in the late 1980s JU High School,  Springfield High and Stanton High consolidated to become Edison High School.

Eddie The Wildcat is now the mascot for Edison High and the sports teams are known as the Wildcats. School colors are now Black and Silver.

Last year all buildings on campus were either painted or stained to reflect the school’s present day colors. Soft gray, representing silver covers the majority of the brickwork with black added as accents.

This school building holds sentimental value to me. Both of my sisters graduated from JU and I attended classes there until my family moved south right after I started my Junior Year of High School. From the time I attended my 8^th grade classes until we moved south I lived within sight of the school. The building sits on a hill and our home was on the next hill but on the opposite side of the highway. After I left home and got married we would visit my parents at least once a year. More than once I stood on their back porch and listened to the band and announcers during home football games.

It was no longer my beloved JU during those visits. However, despite the many changes over the years I love that the community has embraced and preserved the history and sturdy construction of that original building. Many other cities and counties around the country have demolished older schools and other government buildings for the sake of so called progress. But I believe that we need to preserve as much of our architectural history as possible. After all…

“They just don’t make ‘em like they used to.”

 

Click here to view a larger version of today’s featured image.