I just (4/21/10) paid a visit to the lofts and learned that it now has 100% occupancy and a waiting list!
Since it snowed today, a rare occurence for our area, I decided to go exploring in the newly renovated Waco High School building.
Construction began on Waco High School in 1910 and completed in 1911. Amazingly, it replaced what was a magnificant mansion in what I believe is called Greek Revival, but I'm not sure--it was of a flat-roofed construction built probably in the 1880's, making it barely 30 years old when demolished. It occupied the entire block and was surrounded by an ornamental iron fence. I know all this because there is a photograph of it in Waco historian Roger Conger's 1964 book A Pictorial History of Waco--and the picture, like today's, was taken after a nice snow, so I thought it would be appropriate to memorialize it after a fashion.
The school was built by Milton Scott, architect of several significant Waco structures, i.e., first home of Dr Pepper, First Baptst Church, Palm Courts apartments, the Clifton home and the Chrysler dealership from 1925, all still in existence and use--he passed away in 1933. It endured as the largest high school in Waco until 1970 (I did not attend it, but only one summer school session there) when a new structure was started in 1970 and finished in 1971. Sadly, the new structure was built to conform to the numbskull ideas prevalent at the time that mandated no walls between classrooms--it was considered bad form at that time for students to have to be regimented in any fashion, they should just be able to get up and mill about if they so chose. After one year the new building proved unworkable, even by using portable dividers between "classrooms", and it was abandoned for other purposes and the students absorbed into already existing conventionally constructed schools--but that's another story.
For the next 30-35 years it sat mostly empty while the city pondered various and sundry plans for it, none of which ever came to fruition. It was even deemed necessary to condemn it and demolish it at one time in the late 20th Century, but there was such a hue and cry from graduates of the 60 years of its existence that that idea was demolished instead. There are just not many uses that a former school building can be adapted to.
Finally, in the early 21st Century, with the huge growth of Baylor University and the rejuvenation of downtown Waco after years of stagnation, it was decided that perhaps it could be divided up into apartments for students of Baylor, MCC and TSTC, and people with limited means. Everything seemed to be progressing wonderfully, financing seemed to be all lined up, then the bottom dropped out of the economy in 2006 and everything came to a halt. It really seemed like this was going to be the end of the line for good and thus it sat for another 1-1/2 years. Then by the greatest of miracles, a grant that had been ear-marked for a town about 80 miles from here, Bryan/College Station, home of Texas A&M, was withdrawn because of improprieties and rescheduled to be used here in Waco. Work began in 2008 and was completed during the latter part of 2009 and now leasing is finally underway. There are some 215 apartments of various sizes and shapes, all having brand new appliances and fixtures along with individual heating and AC. As much as possible, parts of the old school were retained--the lockers in the hallways, blackboards in some apartments, much of the original flooring exists in both the hallways and in the apartments which were once classrooms. So this is a brief tour of what is accessible to me just in walking in off the street very shortly after its completion. The door we entered in is actually considered the second floor, the first is accessed by going down stairs which I did not do because I didn't think I had enough battery left and it is not really that different from what is seen above.
Loading...
7:51
Waco High School 1910-2010 (Part 2).MP4by NDrLoR1,016 views
what state is waco in?
SpeakMyMind500 6 months ago
@SpeakMyMind500 It is in Texas, thanks!
NDrLoR 6 months ago
@NDrLoR yeah i see. thanks and youre welcome.
SpeakMyMind500 6 months ago
@SpeakMyMind500 Thanks! And I sure do wish we could have some of that cold right now with the temp 105 deg. F!
NDrLoR 6 months ago
What makes a numbskull, 100 smart not to correct. However, the old Waco High School building, cultural heritage of Waco, still exists and is still in use for something! All the best!
sbd403 2 years ago
We were lucky it didn't get demolished last century--it came close several times! The 1971 building serves as an art museum on the MCC campus, so it turned out well too.
NDrLoR 2 years ago