Old Bend High School
Encyclopedia
The Old Bend High School is a historic school building in Bend, Oregon
, in the United States
. Opened in 1925, the building served as a public high school
for 31 years and a junior high school
for an additional 22 years before being transitioned in 1979 into its current role as the administrative headquarters for the Bend-La Pine School District
.
Because of its unique architecture and history, the Old Bend High School is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
. That schoolhouse was replaced in 1904 by a three-story wood-frame school building located at the north end of Bend's downtown area, near where the Deschutes County
Court House is located today. The first high school curriculum was developed that same year, by Ruth Reid, who was the Bend School District’s first principal.
In 1913, the people of Bend passed a school bond
issue that provided $23,000 for the purchase of property and the construction of a modern public school. The result was the three-story Reid School
finished in 1914. The new school accommodated 241 students from first grade through high school. Because the Great Northern and Union Pacific railroads had opened routes into Central Oregon
in 1911, the community was growing rapidly. As a result, 42 of the 241 children who attended the Reid School in 1914 were new students.
In 1917, a new eight-room brick high school was built in downtown Bend. In its first year, the high school enrollment was 115 students. As the number of students continued to grow, the classrooms became overcrowded. By 1920, the high school had overflowed into sixteen temporary classrooms located in several downtown buildings including two cellars.
In 1923, the Bend school board established a building committee to develop plans for a new high school. Based on recommendations from the building committee, the school board accept the Bend Amateur Athletic Club building (also listed on the National Register of Historic Places) from the Bend Holding Company to use as the high school gymnasium. In January 1924, a new unified high school district was approved by Bend voters. A month later, voters in the unified school district approved a $209,000 bond issue for the construction of a new high school building adjacent to the Bend Amateur Athletic Club facility. Construction began in the fall of 1924, and was finished in time to open on 7 September 1925. There were 69 seniors in the school’s first graduating class in May 1926.
By 1952, the enrollment was approaching 1,000. However, the building continued to house Bend’s high school until 1956 when a new high school was opened. A year later, the old high school building became Cascade Junior High. It served as a junior high school for 22 years. In 1979, the junior high students moved to a new building, and the old facility was converted into administrative offices for the Bend-La Pine School District. Since 1979, the old Bend High School building has housed school district offices plus several kindergarten
classrooms.
Because of the school's unique architecture and its importance to the history of Bend, the Bend High School building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. Today, a historic marker near the building’s main entrance reminds visitor of the school’s heritage.
Beaux Arts style building designed by Hugh A. Thompson, Bend's first resident architect. Ed Brosterhous was the general contractor who supervised the school's construction. It was built at the south end of a 3.17 acres (12,828.5 m²) parcel in downtown Bend. The site is bordered by Wall Street on the northwest, Louisiana Avenue on the northeast, Bond Street on the southeast, and the Bend Amateur Athletic Club property on the southwest. The main entrance faces Louisiana Avenue, with concrete walkways leading across the front lawn to the school’s main entrance. There are a number of large Ponderosa pine
trees that shade the grounds. Play ground equipment for the children attending kindergarten in the building, give the area a park-like atmosphere.
The old high school is a two-story structure with a high basement. The building has a U-shaped footprint measuring 120 feet (36.6 m) by 247 feet (75.3 m). The walls are brick, built over a foundation course of stone masonry above a concrete basement. The front facade is well balanced with high windows from end to end and a wide stairway leading to the main portico
entrance on the first floor. The main entrance is dominated by three round-head arch
ways supported by wide brick columns resting on a cut stone foundation. The main wall of the building behind the portico is embellished with sculptured cut-stone and Doric
-style stone caps.
The building has four other entrances, one on the east and west sides and two on the building's south side. The east and west sides match the building’s front façade with brick parapet walls and two stories of high windows plus a row of smaller window along the foundation to allow light into the basement rooms. The back side of the building has much less stone work and very little architectural decoration. However, the high windows continue around the entire building.
Bend, Oregon
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States, and the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, and, despite its modest size, is the de facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Opened in 1925, the building served as a public high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
for 31 years and a junior high school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
for an additional 22 years before being transitioned in 1979 into its current role as the administrative headquarters for the Bend-La Pine School District
Bend-La Pine School District
The Bend-La Pine School District is a school district in the U.S. state of Oregon that serves the cities of Bend and La Pine in Central Oregon and the surrounding area, including Sunriver...
.
Because of its unique architecture and history, the Old Bend High School is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
History
Bend's first schoolhouse was opened in 1887. It was located in an abandoned cabin near the Deschutes River in what is now Drake ParkDrake Park
Drake Park is a 13-acre park located in Bend, Oregon. Drake Park Neighborhood Historic District is located adjacent to the park....
. That schoolhouse was replaced in 1904 by a three-story wood-frame school building located at the north end of Bend's downtown area, near where the Deschutes County
Deschutes County, Oregon
-National protected areas:* Deschutes National Forest * Newberry National Volcanic Monument-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 115,367 people, 45,595 households, and 31,962 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 people per square mile . There were 54,583...
Court House is located today. The first high school curriculum was developed that same year, by Ruth Reid, who was the Bend School District’s first principal.
In 1913, the people of Bend passed a school bond
Municipal bond
A municipal bond is a bond issued by a city or other local government, or their agencies. Potential issuers of municipal bonds includes cities, counties, redevelopment agencies, special-purpose districts, school districts, public utility districts, publicly owned airports and seaports, and any...
issue that provided $23,000 for the purchase of property and the construction of a modern public school. The result was the three-story Reid School
Reid School (Bend, Oregon)
The Reid School is a historic school building in Bend, Oregon, United States. Built in 1914, it was the first modern school building constructed in Bend. The school was named in honor of Ruth Reid, Bend's first school principal. The building remained part of the public school district until 1979,...
finished in 1914. The new school accommodated 241 students from first grade through high school. Because the Great Northern and Union Pacific railroads had opened routes into Central Oregon
Central Oregon
Central Oregon is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Oregon and is traditionally considered to be made up of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. Other definitions include larger areas, often encompassing areas to the north towards the Columbia River, eastward towards Burns, or south...
in 1911, the community was growing rapidly. As a result, 42 of the 241 children who attended the Reid School in 1914 were new students.
In 1917, a new eight-room brick high school was built in downtown Bend. In its first year, the high school enrollment was 115 students. As the number of students continued to grow, the classrooms became overcrowded. By 1920, the high school had overflowed into sixteen temporary classrooms located in several downtown buildings including two cellars.
In 1923, the Bend school board established a building committee to develop plans for a new high school. Based on recommendations from the building committee, the school board accept the Bend Amateur Athletic Club building (also listed on the National Register of Historic Places) from the Bend Holding Company to use as the high school gymnasium. In January 1924, a new unified high school district was approved by Bend voters. A month later, voters in the unified school district approved a $209,000 bond issue for the construction of a new high school building adjacent to the Bend Amateur Athletic Club facility. Construction began in the fall of 1924, and was finished in time to open on 7 September 1925. There were 69 seniors in the school’s first graduating class in May 1926.
By 1952, the enrollment was approaching 1,000. However, the building continued to house Bend’s high school until 1956 when a new high school was opened. A year later, the old high school building became Cascade Junior High. It served as a junior high school for 22 years. In 1979, the junior high students moved to a new building, and the old facility was converted into administrative offices for the Bend-La Pine School District. Since 1979, the old Bend High School building has housed school district offices plus several kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
classrooms.
Because of the school's unique architecture and its importance to the history of Bend, the Bend High School building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. Today, a historic marker near the building’s main entrance reminds visitor of the school’s heritage.
Structure
The old Bend High School is a neoclassicalNeoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
Beaux Arts style building designed by Hugh A. Thompson, Bend's first resident architect. Ed Brosterhous was the general contractor who supervised the school's construction. It was built at the south end of a 3.17 acres (12,828.5 m²) parcel in downtown Bend. The site is bordered by Wall Street on the northwest, Louisiana Avenue on the northeast, Bond Street on the southeast, and the Bend Amateur Athletic Club property on the southwest. The main entrance faces Louisiana Avenue, with concrete walkways leading across the front lawn to the school’s main entrance. There are a number of large Ponderosa pine
Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine native to western North America. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane...
trees that shade the grounds. Play ground equipment for the children attending kindergarten in the building, give the area a park-like atmosphere.
The old high school is a two-story structure with a high basement. The building has a U-shaped footprint measuring 120 feet (36.6 m) by 247 feet (75.3 m). The walls are brick, built over a foundation course of stone masonry above a concrete basement. The front facade is well balanced with high windows from end to end and a wide stairway leading to the main portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
entrance on the first floor. The main entrance is dominated by three round-head arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
ways supported by wide brick columns resting on a cut stone foundation. The main wall of the building behind the portico is embellished with sculptured cut-stone and Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
-style stone caps.
The building has four other entrances, one on the east and west sides and two on the building's south side. The east and west sides match the building’s front façade with brick parapet walls and two stories of high windows plus a row of smaller window along the foundation to allow light into the basement rooms. The back side of the building has much less stone work and very little architectural decoration. However, the high windows continue around the entire building.