Who is Amp Lab at Electric Works for? We open in 2022-2023 to 11th/12th graders, so that means CURRENT 10th & 11th graders are eligible! In addition to this:
-Students must attend one of the five FWCS high schools
-Both AM & PM half-day cohorts are available
-Must be able to fit it in their schedule, but no additional entrance requirements
-Designed for all types of students: whether looking for something different than traditional school OR looking for opportunities to launch you into life after high school
-For students going to college, entering the workforce, launching their own business, or enlisting in the military.
Students should ask their counselor for when we will be at their school and be on the lookout for Parent/Guardian Info Session dates!
Fort Wayne Community Schools’ Amp Lab is expanding to include students from outside of the district beginning in the next school year.
Amp Lab gives high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to spend half their school day at the Electric Works campus engaging with real-world problems and exploring career options.
To learn more, check out the full story by WBOI's Ella Abbott!
The Accolade yearbooks with links to FamilySearch are on the More Info Tab to online copies from 1961 to 1987 at The Genealogy Center. Internet Archive has the same online copies at Archive.org
Perhaps not many of us know that the formation of the "Glee" series and show choir had its very foundation built at the corner of Calhoun and Paulding. Yes, Bishop Luers High School was a key influence in developing what we now call Show Choirs. Yesterday, they had their annual Show Choir Invitational making it the longest-running show choir invitational in the country. This all began back in 1975.
At the time, groups such as Indiana University's "Singing Hoosiers" served as the foundation for collegiate show choirs. But those did not exist in high schools in the midwest, and in college, they were few and far between.
That all changed in 1975 when Bishop Luers High School created the competition. So little was known about this art that Bishop Luers High School had to define it for the audience as a choir that swings. By swinging, they meant lighter music and dance. This became the first exclusive venue for a show choir competition.
The transition from "Swing Choirs" to "Show Choirs" was influenced by that first competition. Specifically, Marion High School's 26th Street Singers. Usually, choirs would take breaks between songs, but not the 26th Street Singers. They would perform a complete set of songs, fully choreographed, with each one setting up the next. Marion's music director, F. Ritchie Walton, bears the unofficial title of the Father of Show Choir as he influenced that change from Swing to Show. By 1983, the invitational was broadcast nationally, leading to a nationwide movement.
A half-century after Bishop Luers hosted the country's first show choir contest, 25 choirs are to gather at the school on Friday and Saturday for this year's Midwest Show Choir Invitational.
A half-century after Bishop Luers hosted the country's first show choir contest, 25 choirs are to gather at the school on Friday and Saturday for this year's Midwest Show Choir Invitational.
Carroll High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana) Carroll High School is a school in the unincorporated suburbs of Fort Wayne, Indiana. It is part of the Northwest Allen County Schools and is accredited by the North Central Association.HistoryIndiana school reorganizationIn 1959, the Indiana General Assembly passed the Indiana School Reorganization Act of 1959 that requires school districts with fewer than 2,000 students to consolidate with nearby districts. This resulted in the three Allen County, Indiana townships of Lake, Eel River and Perry combining into Northwest Allen County Schools (NACS). At that time, high schools existed in Arcola, Indiana and Huntertown, Indiana. The NACS school board voted to combine the two high schools in 1967 into a single newly built school south of Huntertown. The new high school, which opened in 1969, was named after Carroll Road, a rural arterial road that connects U.S. Route 33 and State Road 3 in northern Allen County.Farmland to suburban boomBooming enrollment from suburban sprawl of nearby Fort Wayne into Perry Township caused NACS to build Carroll Middle School (CMS) adjacent to the main high school in 1984. By the fall of 2004 as enrollment continued to increase, the school district built other middle schools (including a new Carroll Middle School) and the old CMS was absorbed into Carroll High School as its "freshman campus."
1922-1971. Opened in 1864 as Fort Wayne High School, in 1922, the name was changed to Central High School. Some outstanding Alumni - 1931, Alfred Maloley owner of Maloley's Fine Foods; 1937 G. Irving Latz, Wolf & Dessauer president; 1940 William Latz, state legislator and Wolf & Dessauer secretary; 1946 Hana Bryant Stith teacher and co-founder, African/African American Historical Society and Museum; 1948 Johnny Bright pro football player, Canadian Football Hall of Fame; 1948 Dick Stoner Magician and owner of Stoner’s Magic Shop; 1949 Vernon Sheldon Allen County Superior Court judge; 1969 Wendy Robinson Fort Wayne Community Schools, superintendent; source was CHS Alumni Office copied from Alumni recall long-closed Central fondly by Jamie Duffy published December 26, 2014 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
Central High School materials at The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana include a large collection of publications, including all yearbooks from 1911 to 1971, various items on historical aspects of the school, such as alumni quotes, sports photographs, and information on sports legend Johnny Bright. There is also the 1934 commencement program, and reunion booklets and photos for that class from 1959 to 1989. One other addition to their Free Databases is the 1920 Commencement program for Fort Wayne High School, Central’s predecessor in name.
Thomas A. Motter . . . Indiana Basketball Player September 13, 2014
by JA Motter on YouTube
This four-minute mini-documentary celebrates the life of Thomas A. Motter as an Indiana Basketball player. It includes a brief history of his playing career and several rather unique honors. It also includes a short video of the stirring recognition he received at the start of an Indiana University basketball game on February 15, 2009.
March 1936, trio of basketball stars: Paul Curly Armstrong, Thomas A. Motter and Herm Schaefer under the direction of coach Murray Mendenhall Dean of Indiana High Schools Coaches during the 1940s won the Indiana State High School Championship Finals for the first time.Armstrong and Motter make the All-Tourney Team. They returned to the finals in 1937.
Central High School opened in 1904 at 1200 S. Barr between Lewis and Montgomery (now Douglas) Streets.
The new school was referred to as Fort Wayne High & Manual Training School (manual today is vocational), or simply as the Public High School. The munificent limestone Beaux-Arts building designed by local architect Charles R. Weatherhogg was constructed on part of the old Allen Hamilton homestead property.
The school opened the doors with 480 students and 17 teachers. When in 1917 the Indiana University Extension Center was established in Fort Wayne, the college’s classes were also held at the Public High School. By the time the city’s second high school, South Side, opened in 1922, enrollment downtown had grown to over 1200 students. It was then decided that the name Public High School no longer made sense, as it was no longer the city’s only high school. Thus, in 1922 the school’s name was changed to Central High School, the name for whom the blue and white Central Tigers are associated with today.
In 1930 the boys and girls gymnasiums were built, however they were not large enough, so basketball games were played at North Side High School which had opened in 1927. Central’s requirements continued to grow, necessitating a large addition to the building on the Clinton Street side, which was completed in 1939 and requiring the razing of the adjacent large historic Hamilton family home.
Sports were huge at Central, as were its rivalries with South Side and North Side. Likely, the Tigers crowning moment came when in 1943 Central won the Indiana State boys basketball title and featured a 27-1 record, the only loss being to Fort Wayne’s South Side. As a method to aid in desegregating the city’s high schools and gaining a vocational school at the same time, Central closed in 1971. District lines were redrawn, thus dispersing students living in the downtown area to the various other high schools including the new Northrop and Wayne High Schools, which were both dedicated in the spring of 1972. The former Central High School building was renamed the Fort Wayne Regional Vocational High School. Then in 1990 it became the Anthis Career Center, modified to Anthis Career Academy in 2015. While the building no longer has the roar of the Tigers, it does have a Tiger Den, a room filled with Central High School image boards by school year and display cases filled with memorabilia that has been collected and is maintained by the Central High School Alumni Association. Illustrating the importance Central High School and its leaders once had to the community, a number of its principals throughout the years have since been honored with other schools being named after them including Fred Croninger (Central’s first principal), Chester Lane, Louis Ward, and J. Wilbur Haley.
Photo with the caption The old Central High School gym before it was torn down during the building's days as the Regional Vocation Center. It is now the Bill C. Anthis Center. was posted July 27, 2018 by FWCS, Fort Wayne Community Schoolson Twitter.
In 1943, Central wins the state boys basketball title.
The 1943 tournament was a very important one for the state as it was the first that included private, parochial and black schools, the first all-inclusive state tournament. So it was appropriate that Central was such a balanced team and didn't have true superstars.
The Tigers finished 27-1 after their 45-40 win over Lebanon. Central's only loss that season came against South Side, a loss the Tigers avenged in the second meeting. The third meeting was one of best games in Fort Wayne history, with Central winning 25-24 in overtime in the sectional as Tom Shopoff hit the winning free throw.
Central was coached by the great Murray Mendenhall, and his team included Murray Mendenhall Jr., Bob Armstrong, Bob Van Ryn, Shopoff, Jim Blanks, Charlie Stanski, Max Ramsey, Ray Chambers, Ed Lindenberg, Bob Doty and Ron Lewton. Shopoff led the team in scoring during the state tournament with 83 points, followed by Mendenhall Jr. with 81, Blanks with 66, Stanski with 62, Armstrong with 55 and Van Ryn with 53.
That balance was also evident during the title game as Mendenhall scored 10 points, Stanski, Blanks and Van Ryn nine each. The Tigers were also great defensively, holding Lebanon to 13 of 55 shooting from the field. Lebanon star Pete Mount made just 3 of 21 shots. Stanski scored the finishing basket with about 30 seconds left.
Mendenhall Sr. eventually became coach of the Fort Wayne Pistons, Mendenhall Jr. coached some excellent South Side teams in the 1970s and 1980s and Murray Mendenhall III became an excellent coach at Wayne. The Mendenhall coaches combined for 747 career wins.
Also, in 1954, Bob Chase and Hilliard Gates broadcast the Milan-Muncie Central state championship game, the inspiration for the movie ``Hoosiers.''
1938-1972. Central Catholic High School was a merger of the existing Catholic high schools of Fort Wayne into one co-educational high school. The school opened in 1938, and Bishop Noll dedicated it January 8, 1939. By 1970 there was a definite decline in enrollment. The school closed in 1972. Students who wished transferred to Bishop Dwnger or Bishop Luers High School. Copied from from a longer history on Central Catholic High School, Fort Wayne, Ind. page on Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods web site.
In 1940, Central Catholic wins the second of back-to-back Catholic national championships.
Before 1943, parochial schools were prohibited from playing in the Indiana High School boys basketball tournament. While every other team played in the sectionals, Central Catholic would participate in the Catholic state tournament, and when the Irish won, they’d advance to the National Catholic High School Basketball Championships in Chicago to play in the field of 32.
The Irish won their first national title in 1939, beating Leo of Chicago 44-37 at Loyola University to finish 25-4. Ed Stanczak led the scoring with 19 points, Jim Boedecker scored nine and George Bitler seven.
Central Catholic scored more than 40 points in all five tournament games. For the season the Irish averaged 41 points and allowed only 28. Central had beaten Leo 27-17 during a regular-season tilt.
The other starters were Bob Heiny and Gene Maxwell with John Falvy, Nick Leto, Ed Gorman, Ed Klotz and Ed Dehner coming off the bench.
Coach John Levicki’s Irish survived a 29-27 barnburner the next year against Indianapolis Cathedral in the state tournament.
The national tournament was also much closer as Central Catholic beat Chicago St. Phillips 33-31 in the third round, Leo of Chicago 51-42 in the semifinals and finally beat Santa Fe, New Mexico 35-33 for the championship. Stanczak had 15 points this time and Klotz nine. Stanczak scored seven of his points in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning basket.
The other starters that year were Harold Morthorst, Dick Krouse and Ed Dehner, with Nick Leto, Bob Walker and Bob Heiny coming off the bench.
Also, in 1956, the Pistons lose the first game of the NBA Finals to Philadelphia 98-94.
Established 1924; ended 1941. The National Catholic Interscholastic Basketball Tournament (NCIBT) was held every March from 1924 through 1941 to determine the national basketball championship for Catholic high schools and academies in the United States. Under the auspices of Loyola University from 1924 through 1934, and Loyola Academy from 1935 through 1941, this invitational meet featured competition between 32 outstanding teams representing various sections or states of the United States. National Catholic Interscholastic Basketball Tournament records, 1924-1941 at ArchiveGrid.org.
As the City of Fort Wayne expanded so did its school system. One of the important symbols of that system is the diploma. One of the first classes of young Fort Wayne citizens to receive diplomas was the Class of 1866. These seven women graduated from Fort Wayne High School, which opened in 1857. A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. This document can simply be referred to as a degree certificate or graduation certificate, or as a parchment. In the United States, the word “diploma” usually refers to the actual document, especially in the context of academic degrees earned at the college or university level. That is, Americans normally draw a distinction between a diploma as documentary evidence of the award of an academic degree, and the underlying degree itself (which is not called a diploma). Visit the History Center to see these and many more in our new temporary exhibit “Making the Grade: Diplomas of Allen County.” #sociallyhistory
1864-1922. The cover of the 1914 Caldron yearbook illustrates 50 years 1864 1914. HISTORICAL SKETCH Central High School Fort Wayne High School opened in 1864 on East Wayne Street as the only public high school in Fort Wayne. The school's student population steadily grew, and by the early 1900s, a new building was needed in order to serve this larger student body. In 1904, a new building for the school was opened at 1200 S. Barr Street, welcoming nearly 500 students. Along with the new building was a new name, Fort Wayne High and Manual Training High School. In 1922, the school changed its name to Central High School as it was no longer the only public high school in Fort Wayne. Enrollment at the school maintained its growth, hitting over 1200 students. Through the 1930s, additions to the building were made to accommodate the number of students. In 1930, the boys and girls gyms were built, and in 1939, an addition to the building on its Clinton Street side was completed. By the 1960s, student enrollment started to decline due to movement out of the city. By 1968, enrollment dropped to just under 1000 students. It was around this time that the Civil Rights community was heavily advocating for desegregation. Central High School was already integrated with a student population that was half black and half white. The other high schools in the area, however, were not. To aid in desegregating other area high schools, Central High School was closed, district lines were redrawn, and two new high schools were created. When Central High School closed in 1971, the building was repurposed as a vocational center, the Fort Wayne Regional Vocation High School. In 1990, it was renamed as the Anthis Career Center, and in 2015 became the Anthis Career Academy. Posted March 27, 2022 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook. It was copied from Collection # M 1376 OM 0673 FORT WAYNE CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS AND EPHEMERA, CA. 1929–1991 processed by Jessica Fischer May 2018 Manuscript and Visual Collections Department William Henry Smith Memorial Library Indiana Historical Society 450 West Ohio Street Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269 www.indianahistory.org. Indiana Album Harley Sheets Collection 1908 photo.
The first city directory in 1858 shows two existing school buildings on the No. 1 Eastern District north-east corner of Washington and Clay, and No. 2 Western District south-west corner of Jefferson and Griffith on page 13 of Williams' Fort Wayne directory, city guide, and business mirror : volume 1, 1858-'59 by Williams, C. S. (Calvin S.), Publication date 1858, an Archive.org. The first school was eventually known as Jefferson School with Griffith eventually becoming Fairfield Avenue.
The 1864 city directory shows essentially the same school information as in 1858 with a high school in No. 2 Western District on the south-west corner of Jefferson and Griffith.
Did you know our yearbook collection is searchable in our catalog? Start exploring here: https://acpl.lib.in.us/explore-genealogy/. Some are available to view digitally!
Minnie Aker was born in 1874 in Fort Wayne, Indiana Ambrose Aker and Amanda Gillam. Ambrose supported his family, working as a carpenter. Minnie graduated from the Central Grammar School in Fort Wayne in 1894.
On October 24, 1899, she married William G. McMaken. For the first few years of their marriage, the couple lived with William’s parents and he worked as a farmer. In 1904, she gave birth to a baby girl, Gladys.
In 1917, Minnie and her family moved to Canada. William worked as an Assistant Manager for the International Harvester Co. of Canada Ltd and was “well known throughout western Canada where he took an active interest in farm machinery”. Minnie’s husband died in 1935 at the age of 58. Minnie was a member of the U.S. Women's Club and of the North Hill United Church in Calgary.
Minnie died at the age of 82 in 1957 and is buried in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Find a Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : , memorial page for William Gettys McMaken (1877 - 1935), Find A Grave Memorial no. 135987113, citing Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta; memorial page is created and maintained by contributor 135987113, Calgary Helpers.
Find a Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 26 April 2023), memorial page for Minnie Isele Aker McMaken (1874 - 1957), Find A Grave Memorial no. 135953241, citing Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta; memorial page is created and maintained by contributor 135987113, Calgary Helpers.
Check out the most viewed record of the year for collections hosted by PastPerfect Online! We use this amazing museum software to catalog our nearly 25,000 images. If you need assistance about using the program from your cataloging needs, please let us know.
The most viewed record for this year has been a postcard of Harlan High School in Harlan, Indiana, made available online by Indiana Album: Harland Sheets Collection. This postcard, which is dated circa 1909 and features a handwritten note on the back, was viewed over 3,600 times between January 1st and November 30th!
1929 yard-long photo could be a graduating class with kids holding flags with the names of area townships. Photo edit stitching error eliminated the fourth column? Posted March 16, 2023 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook.
With the crowding of Central High School downtown, South Side High School was built in 1922, followed by North Side High School rising in 1927 north of town along the east side of the St. Joseph River. The school was designed by local architect Charles Weatherhog who also designed Central High School, the Anthony Hotel, and the Noll Mansion on Fairfield. The centrally domed structure featured an indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, and what is arguably still today Fort Wayne Community Schools’ most beautiful auditorium.
North Side underwent extensive restoration and expansion in 2002 and at over 400,000 square feet is the system’s largest school in area. North Siders will see that the football field has changed from a North/South to an East/West layout since this image was made in the late 1920’s. Note at top right across Parnell Avenue part of the old Indiana School for Feeble Minded Youth (as it was called then), and at bottom left, just a wee bit of the old Centlivre Brewery peeking out.
Randolph L. Harter is a Fort Wayne historian and author of two books on local history.
Purdue Fort Wayne, North Side HS team up for historical archive North Side High School and Purdue University Fort Wayne are seeking NSHS alumni and supporters with interesting NSHS artifacts to contribute to a digital collection. posted by ENDEAVORS on November 6, 2018 at Purdue University Fort Wayne.
North Side High School football field vintage look. #fortwayne
2016/05/24: Announcement of new North Side High School logo by AroundFortWayne posted May 27, 2016 on YouTube North Side High School unveiled the new logo to go along with the nickname Legends, which will begin being used in the 2016-17 school year. The logo, designed at no cost by Jostens, depicts the historic front entrance of North Side and a phoenix rising from flames. The school’s colors will remain red and white.
Speaker for the news conference is North Side High School Principal Chad Hissong.
This past week saw important elections across the country. While each election in recent memory splits the country for a time, we are more united than divided. Fort Wayne is no stranger to presidential influences, including two presidents in the early 1900s. Today is the story of South Side High School, Teddy Roosevelt, a home on Woodland Avenue, and William McKinley's assassination. Read on for more. [ Teddy Roosevelt visited Fort Wayne October 11, 1900 and William McKinley visited May 29, 1901 . See Presidental Visits section. ]
In 1896, the presidential election was underway, and William McKinley won narrowly by just 600,000 votes over Williams Jenning Bryan. This election was significant as it marked a shift in the country's economic policies, with McKinley's victory signaling a move towards protectionism and the gold standard. At the same time, William and Lilian Kaiser were making their home in Fort Wayne, where William was a Western Gas Construction Company foreman. In the fall of 1901, William and Lilian traveled to Buffalo, New York, to visit the World's Fair. McKinley, in his 2nd term, was also there.
The Kaisers recounted the experience with a mix of awe and fear as one of the few eyewitnesses: Mr. and Mrs. Kaiser had entered the gallery in the organ department of the Temple of Music. When the president arrived and began shaking hands with the eager crowd, the excitement, and crash were terrific. They noticed a young man with his hand swathed in something white, and they saw him approach the president. Then they heard two shots very closely together, saw a cloud of smoke rise in the air, and immediately they saw a pandemonium arose. Within a week, McKinley had died, and his VP, Teddy Roosevelt, took the helm. The Kaisers would recount that story from their front porch at their Wildwood Avenue home for years.
Roosevelt, who had visited Fort Wayne during the 1900 campaign, would continue to be president through 1909 and is considered one of the greatest presidents in US history. However, his more permanent presence on the south side of Fort Wayne might be somewhat unknown. The presence is a large mural quote on the side of South Side High School, a powerful reminder of our city's connection to such a significant figure in American history. The quote comes from a lecture delivered at Oxford on June 7, 1910, titled Biological Analogies in History. I have included a slightly longer version of the quote below.
"I believe that we of the great civilized nations of today have a right to feel that long careers of achievement lie before our several countries. To each of us is vouchsafed the honourable privilege of doing his part, however small, in that work. Let us strive hardily for success even if by so doing we risk failure, spurning the poorer souls of small endeavour who know neither failure nor success. Let us hope that our own blood shall continue in the land, that our children and children's children to endless generations shall arise to take our places and play a mighty and dominant part in the world. But whether this be denied or granted by the years we shall not see, let at least the satisfaction be ours that we have carried onward the lighted torch in our own day and generation. If we do this, then, as our eyes close, and we go out into the darkness, and others' hands grasp the torch, at least we can say that our part has been borne well and valiantly."
Construction of South Side High School began on September 1, 1921 with the goal of opening the following year. On September 11, 1922, the first students attended South Side. At the time of its building it was said to be the largest single level high school in the nation.
Throughout the years Fort Wayne has been home to numerous schools. Our local schools were started in 1853 and continue...
Throughout the years Fort Wayne has been home to numerous schools. Our local schools were started in 1853 and continue to educate the children of Fort Wayne. By 1920, it had become apparent that Fort Wayne High School was overcrowded and a second high school would be the best solution to the problem. As a site for the new high school, the school board chose a tract of land on South Calhoun Street close to the city limits. The new school, South Side High School was begun on September 1, 1921 with the goal of opening the following year. On September 11, 1922, exactly 100 years ago today, the first students attended South Side. At the time of its building it was said to be the largest single level high school in the nation. Throughout the decades there have been eight principals, the first 3 had a combined tenure of 68 years. The original principal and the second are names that are familiar to the people of Fort Wayne: Robert C. Harris (1922-1926) and R. Nelson Snider (1926-1963), these educators have an elementary school and a high school, respectively, named after them. Throughout the years the school has seen multiple expansions and renovations: the first in 1937 made the entire building 2 story. Other projects followed in the 1950s, 1970s, 1981 and 1990s. One of the largest additions was the Helen P. Brown Natatorium [1996], holding Fort Wayne’s only Olympic size pool. Among its alumni are several notable national figures, including DaMarcus Beasley, Bill Blass, Shelley Long, Bernard Pollard and Dr. Nancy Snyderman. Today we celebrate the centennial of one of Fort Wayne’s educational institutions and wish it well as it continues to educate generations to come. #sociallyhistory
See photo of the one story building posted June 28, 2018 by Fort Wayne Food Tours on Facebook.
March Brackets Resource Finals! : Indiana High Schools
South Side High School in Fort Wayne opened in early September 1922, although its construction was not fully completed until the end of October. Until 1925, the school also housed primary and intermediate students while Harrison Hill Elementary School was being constructed. The school features a Neoclassical design and formal Greco-Roman architectural elements, such as Ionic columns, entablatures, and cornices. Its exterior is largely constructed of tan/red brick, limestone, and brick, while portions of the school are wrapped in ivy. (IHSSI 003-215-55276)
SHAARD Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)
Statement of Significance:
South Side High School is a marvelous example of a Neoclassical style institutional building. The facade and south elevation feature a central, pedimented grand entrance wing, 3 bays wide, with full height fluted Ionic columns and full classical entablature. It is flanked by symmetrical wings and hyphens on either side. The wings are 5 bays wide with a single large 3/3 window on each floor, but the end hyphen wings are each different. The words "South Side High School" are engraved in the wide stone frieze of the pediment, and the year 1921 engraved in the tympanum above.
The north elevation also has a central entrance wing, but it has a flat roof parapet and is flanked by paired, narrow, full height Ionic columns and full height brick pilasters with stone weatherings on either side. This entrance wing is also flanked by 5 bays on either side, similar to the facade and south elevations. The wings at either end have shallow pitched gabled parapets made of stone block. Adjacent to this side-gabled wing at either end is another entrance with double doors, large transom and stone surround with brackets. The wings to the east are additions, but they are sensitive in design to the original wings of the building. The roof features wide plain stone frieze with some engravings and projecting cornice; classical entablature and stone parapet.
An April 1, 2024 Facebook post with a couple more photos:
Did you notice that our final round of resource match-ups came down to two resources from Fort Wayne? The winner of our 2024 bracket challenge is the South Side High School (Allen County). This resource earned over 1,000 votes across all rounds of voting - many of which from alumni! Way to show school spirit!
South Side High School in Fort Wayne opened in early September 1922, although its construction was not fully completed until the end of October. The school was designed by the Fort Wayne architectural firm of Griffith & Goodrich, and the general contract for its construction was awarded to the Indiana Engineering and Construction Company, who submitted a bid of $579,450 for construction not including costs for plumbing, heating, wiring, furniture, or ventilating plants. 38 classrooms were originally proposed, and an industrial corridor for woodworking, forging, and the power house was to be separated from the main parts of the building, similar to that of a typical factory. For the purposes of teaching housekeeping, the design called for a section of the building to be outfitted with a kitchen, dining room, bathroom and bedroom. Original plans for the school campus called for a swimming pool; a basketball gymnasium that could be partitioned into two spaces; and a large $45,000 stadium including football and baseball fields, tennis courts, and an outdoor basketball court. Until 1925, the school housed primary and intermediate students while Harrison Hill Elementary School was being constructed. The school features a Neoclassical design and formal Greco-Roman architectural elements, such as Ionic columns, entablatures, and cornices. Its exterior is largely constructed of tan/red brick, limestone, and brick, while portions of the school are wrapped in ivy. Later additions and renovations to South Side High School and the associated physical education facility were designed by the architectural firm of well-known Fort Wayne architect A.M. Strauss & Associates in 1937, 1958, 1970-1973, and 1979-1980.
Thanks for playing along and continue to follow our page to learn more about historic preservation & archaeology in Indiana!
It's #waybackwednesday! Take a look at these then and now photos of South Side High School in Fort Wayne, courtesy of our Daniel A. Baker Collection. One view shows the school in 1923, a year after its opening, while the other photo shows the school in 2017. Did you go to South Side High School? Share your memories in the comments!
South Side to honor 22 graduates Program included in celebration of 100th anniversary by Rosa Salter Rodriquez published April 16, 2022 in The Journal Gazette newspaper. Retired chemistry teacher George R. Davis jokingly calls it “Fort Wayne's Oscar.” For 25 years, the statuette known as “The Archer” has been given to alumni of South Side High School who have distinguished themselves in their studies, careers or community service. As South Side commemorates its 100th anniversary this year, the 11th awards ceremony has been worked into the festivities. Twenty-two new awardees will be added to a group that now numbers nearly 100 notables – such as international fashion designer Bill Blass, former Fort Wayne mayors Ivan Lebamoff and Win Moses, actress Shelley Long and TV health reporter Dr. Nancy Snyderman. The new winners include international professional soccer star DaMarcus Beasley, a four-time World Cup participant, and National Football League safety Bernard Pollard Jr., a second-round draft pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2006. Local notables include Fort Wayne Deputy Mayor Karl Bandemer, Judge Andrea D. Trevino of Allen County Superior Court, retired Lutheran pastor Dr. James Cress and Fort Wayne Police Department Deputy Chief Marty Bender. The new award winners were chosen by Davis ('52), James Frey ('55), G. Stanley Hood ('56) and Joe Deitche ('86). The awards are based on a potential recipient's outstanding career accomplishment, service to the community and contributions to South Side High School.
We share this picture of Wayne High School under construction in 1971 (top) and a shot of Northrop High School in 1974-1975. (right side) These High Schools were identical and built at the same time. BTW... Hofer and Davis did topographical surveys for both schools for Fort Wayne Community Schools in 1968 and boundary surveys of both schools on February 27, 1969!
