Blodgett School

A.B. BLODGETT VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL312 OSWEGO STREET - SYRACUSE, NEW YORK

DOUGLAS KAHLARC 638

14 DECEMBER 2009

A.B. BLODGETT VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Copyright © 2009 by Kahl Publishing. All rights reserved.

Published by Kahl Publishing, Syracuse, New York.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning,or otherwise, except as permitted under the guidelinesregulating the use of student work by Syracuse University,without either the prior written permission of the Publisher orSyracuse University. Requests to the Publisher for permissionshould be addressed to Syracuse University School ofArchitecture, 201 Slocum Hall, Syracuse, New York, 13244-1250, (315) 443-2256, fax (315) 443-5082, or email [email protected].

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CONTENTS

PART I

Introduction

Location

Type

Formal and Spatial Configuration

Style

Materials, Construction, and Technology

PART II

Networking Diagrams

PART III

Assignment One

Assignment Two

Annotated Bibliography

Figure Credits

CONTENTS

3

5

5

9

10

18

23

29

31

35

37

43

62

69

PART I

In 1899, a man by the name of Doctor Andrew Burr Blodgett

(figure 1.1) was elected as superintendent of Syracuse Public

Schools. Blodgett, born in 1850, and having started his career in

education in 1870, held the position of superintendent until his death

in 1910. During his tenure in office, he was relentless in his efforts

to provide quality facilities for both the students and faculty of the

district,1 making it known that he wished he could spend more time

in the schools and less with the menial day-to-day administrative

tasks his position demanded of him.2 By the end of the first decade

of the 20th century, just prior to his death, it had become apparent

to Blodgett that the city’s schools had been pushed to their limits

as the student population continued to expand. In some wards of

the city, the populations had increased by over 50% between 1900

and 1910; one ward actually grew over 80%.3 As a result, plans had

been initiated to begin the construction of several new academic

buildings. Though not all buildings had

been commissioned at the same time,

between 1915 and 1919, seven new

schools or additions to school were

completed. One of those schools was

the Vocational High School, later named

after the man who led the school district

so steadfastly for over a decade, Andrew

Burr Blodgett.

LOCATION A. B. Blodgett Vocational

High School was constructed in the

neighborhood now known as the

Near West Side. The Near West Side Figure 1.1: A.B. Blodgett.

05

neighborhood is situated just south of Fayette Street, which ran

parallel to the railroad in the early 1900s, west of West Street, north

of Lincoln Avenue and Onondaga Street, and east of Geddes Street.

(figure 1.2) The south region of this neighborhood was once home to

some of the wealthiest families in Syracuse, including the mayor at

one point.4 As one moved progressively north in the neighborhood,

however, the homes became geared more towards the working

class. The residents were generally well-off in regards to income and

financial status, due to the fact that many were employed by nearby

companies such as the Carrier Company or Franklin Automotive,5

both of which were major economic leaders in Syracuse at the time.

Blodgett School today, as it did at the time of construction,

consumes the majority of its site and is bordered by Otisco and

Tully Streets to the north and south, respectively, with Oswego and

Seneca Streets on the east and west ends, respectively. The choice

in location was due in part to two main factors. One, on the west

end of the block, there originally sat May Public School; on the other

half sat approximately 13-14 homes.6 (figure 1.3) Eventually, the

school district acquired those homes with the intent of using the

entire block for the new school. The immediate vicinity was already

tempered to the presence of a school and aside from the removal

of those 13 homes, there was little disruption in the overall fabric of

the neighborhood. The second main factor was regarding the school

district’s effort to maintain an even spread of schools across the

city. (figure 1.4) This was very much keeping in line with Andrew

Blodgett’s goal of providing equal opportunities to all students in the

city. During his time in office as district superintendent, Blodgett’s

administration accepted the goal of providing ample opportunities for

all students, regardless of “…religion, race, color or sex,” to develop

the skills necessary in life.7 The placement of Blodgett School in the

06

Figure 1.2: Near West Side neighborhood, Syracuse, New York, ca. 1910.

07

Figure 1.3: (left) Future site of Blodgett School, showing the location and street block of the former May School.

Figure 1.4: (bottom) Dispersement of public high schools.

08

Near West Side was just one more way to help achieve those goals.

TYPE Blodgett School was commissioned by the Syracuse Board

of Education in 1912. James Randall, a local architect from the

firm, Merrick and Randall - Architects, was chosen to design the

new building. Randall was responsible for numerous other schools

in Syracuse, including the former Madison School (1920),8 (figure

1.5) as well as the former Syracuse Public Library building (1905).9

(figure 1.6) Construction of Blodgett School began in 1915 and

was completed in time for students to start classes in the fall of

1918. Officially, the school was classified as a vocational high

school. Though the concept has evolved and changed since the

early 1900s, a vocational school then meant its curriculum revolved

around teaching job-specific skills to its students. The students of

Blodgett School were both male and female upperclassmen, often

times coming from working class families. The notion of attending a

university or college after high school was not in the mindset of most

students at this point in United States history, so a vocational facility

would provide necessary job skills, such as hands-on construction

proficiency for the men and domestic talents for the women, to help

gain employment upon graduation.

It is interesting to note also, that despite Andrew Blodgett’s

notion of achieving equal opportunity among the district’s students,

some old tendencies persisted in the planning of the school; whether

those tendencies were the result of James Randall, the Board of

Education, or some other individual or entity, it is not known. This

notion of sex segregation may have come from European influences

of the time. Throughout much of Europe, the co-education of male

and female students was discouraged, except in rural locations.10

Figure 1.5: (top) Madison School. Figure 1.6: (bottom) Syracuse Public Library.

09

Very visibly, even today, separate entrances to Blodgett School were

designated on opposite ends of the building for males and females,

though they are not adhered to today. It may have been the normal

practice for the era, but physical features like the carved marble with

text stating “BOYS” and “GIRLS” over these entrances are a constant

reminder of what a past generation thought was acceptable. Today,

even among most conservative-minded people, the segregation of

the sexes in a public environment is seen as excessive.

FORMAL AND SPATIAL CONFIGURATION Segregation seems to be a common theme in the programmatic

configuration of Blodgett School, between men and women as

well as students and faculty. The school’s program, or purpose for

each space, has clear indications of segregation among the sexes.

In addition to necessary mechanical features, the basement level

(figure 1.8) of the building had the following rooms: printing room,

elementary machine room, advanced machine room, wood turning,

pattern making, elementary cabinet making, advanced cabinet

making, woodworking machinery, and finishing. Very plainly, these

rooms were directed at the male students, as many of them were

likely to become employed in the construction/building industry.11

The first floor, or main level, (figure 1.9) was less segregated in that

there were numerous classrooms, drawing rooms (for blueprints),

study rooms, the main office, lunch room, and the auditorium.12

The second level (figure 1.10) provided spaces for science-related

courses (biology, chemistry, and physics), the library, and a photo

processing and dark room.13

Just as the basement level was geared towards the male

students, the third floor (figure 1.11) was geared towards the female

students. The rooms on this uppermost floor included: dress making

10

and sewing, millinery (hat making), book-keeping, applied design,

typewriting, stenography (shorthand writing), laundry facilities, and a

domestic science lab which housed a model dining room, kitchen,

and bedroom.14 The third floor of the school was programmed to

teach young women, probably not attending a normal school for

teaching, the skills they would need to be a subservient woman in the

workplace, or at the very least, a successful housewife or homemaker.

It should be noted too, that the term “subservient” is used in a 21st

century context, complete with its lack of tolerance towards sex

segregation. For many women of the early 1900s, however, such

educational facilities provided many new opportunities to take on

new challenges. From one’s point of view in the current century, the

separation of such facilities and courses seems absurd. But from the

point of view of educators at the turn of the 20th century, this was

commonplace; they saw it as their duty to make sure both men and

women had the appropriate skills necessary to join the American

workforce in a manner befitting that of society’s expectations.

This manner of planning was not unusual. Schools across the

country designed their facilities with gender in mind. Normal Schools,

mentioned previously, and their concept were continuing to expand

in popularity. Though overridingly used by more women than men,

the planning and configuration of many normal schools from the

early 1900s followed similar approaches to those of Blodgett School.

Mitchell Hall, now a part of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee,

was built as one such normal school. (figure 1.7) Construction of

Mitchell Hall began in 1909 and ended in 1912.15 The concept and

design style known as Beaux Arts will be discussed later in this

text, but Mitchell Hall falls into the category of being a Beaux Arts

building. On the front of the building, along North Downer Avenue, a

classical facade is presented, complete with monumental staircases,

Figure 1.7: Mitchell Hall, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

11

Figure 1.8: Blodgett School, basement level.

12

Figure 1.9: Blodgett School, first level.

13

Figure 1.10: Blodgett School, second level.

14

Figure 1.11: Blodgett School, third level.

15

columns, a base implying rustication, and the use of an entablature.

The interior was symmetrically planned and also included separate

side entrances. At the present, there is no indication that there

was any distinction between male and female entrances; those

distinctions may never have existed or they may have been removed

over the years as Mitchell Hall has been renovated and added on to

numerous times.

Another one of the numerous normal schools being built was

Dempsey Hall, from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, which

was the site of the first kindergarten program in the United States.16

(figure 1.12) This building was built between 1916 and 1918 and

was designed by the Milwaukee architectural firm, Van Ryn and De

Gelleke, who happened to be the same architects for Mitchell Hall.

With Dempsey Hall, however, though analogous in plan to Mitchell

Hall and Blodgett School with regards to the logics of planning,

the visual exterior of the building is much more reminiscent to the

Collegiate Gothic style as opposed to the Beaux Arts.17 The plan

of Dempsey Hall was (and more or less still is today) symmetrical

with secondary side entrances and stairwells, a main lobby, interior

furnishings with extensive marble, and exterior treatments of carved

stone, all of which are similar to many of the features of both Mitchell

Hall and Blodgett School, but with noticeable differences. The stone

work, used primarily around the doors and windows of Dempsey

Hall is much more elaborate than a simple carved cornice piece,

showcasing animated stone characters in many places. Above the

main entrance, which is centered on a four-story tower, is a Tudor

arch framing the doors, complete with floral carvings.18

Though stylistically different in elevation, the many similarities

between the various schools of the country, including Blodgett School

and Dempsey and Mitchell Halls, help to mark a consistent approach

Figure 1.12: Dempsey Hall, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

16

to education and how architects designed for it at the start of the

20th century. Slowly, many of the Renaissance-styled educational

buildings, often times displaying influence from the Italian palazzo

typology, were being replaced with Beaux Arts- or Collegiate Gothic-

styled buildings, as they had become the favored representations for

educational facilities in the United States. This was the case for both

Dempsey Hall and Blodgett School as both buildings replaced smaller

palazzo-styled buildings (figures 1.13 and 1.14). The Renaissance-

inspired buildings, according to the American School Board Journal,

were seen as being ugly and “standout monuments” that resembled

“a court house or a hotel rather than a schoolhouse.”19

At this time in the architectural history of the United States,

schools of the late 1800s and early 1900s followed very similar layouts

and overall logics. In report after report, the Boards of Health and

Education had provided examples for successful schools and how

they addressed a range of issues, everything from exterior facades

to the placement of specific classrooms to take advantage of natural

daylight. With such suggestions being made at the hands of a federal

agency, the notion of the stock, or ready-made, plan came to be

regarded as a good idea by many school boards.20 Architects urged

against this almost from the start for two main reasons. One, selfishly

perhaps, architects would not have been able to sustain themselves

financially if all they had done was to create one plan that had been

used over and over at multiple sites. The second reason was much

less selfish in that the architects felt they needed to address the

specific site conditions for the proposed schools. Author, Warren R.

Briggs, stated in his text Modern American School Buildings (1899)

that “Ready-made plans, like ready-made clothing, never quite

fit, and are just as easy of detection in one case as in the other.”21

Briggs went on further to describe the false sense of cost-savings

Figure 1.13: May Public School, replaced by Blodgett School.

Figure 1.14: Oshkosh Normal School, destroyed by fire, replaced by Dempsey Hall.

17

in employing a ready-made plan, saying that while money may be

saved by avoiding the professional service of an architect during the

planning stage, large sums would likely be spent in making costly

on-site alterations to the project during construction.22

In spite of these strong suggestions from architects,

municipalities did employ the ready-made plan approach. Dempsey

Hall, previously mentioned, has a “twin” at the University of Wisconsin

in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, known as Schofield Hall. Dempsey Hall

(figure 1.16), which came before Schofield Hall (figure 1.15), is visually

similar in plan and facade details, but major differences between the

buildings exist. One such difference is the subtraction of the third

floor from Schofield Hall, as well as the tower-like structure above

the main entrance, as with Dempsey Hall. Both buildings, however,

were based on the same plans. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Fulton

(figure 1.17), Barton (figure 1.18), and Lowry (razed) Schools were

completed in 1915 and all followed the same plan and Collegiate

Gothic appearance.

STYLE As mentioned earlier, Blodgett School was designed and

constructed in the Beaux Arts style, which was quite popular in the

United States between 1880 and 1920, approximately, but with

that popularity beginning to wane by the end of the first decade

of the 1900s. The Beaux Arts style of the United States originated

out of the influence the École des Beaux Arts of Paris had over the

architectural world. Over 500 Americans had attended the famous

school,23 including Richard Morris Hunt and John Russell Pope, and

each of them brought back to the United States their newly acquired

knowledge as well as their visions of implementation. The academy

was officially founded in 1819 after the schools of the Académie

Figure 1.15: Schofield Hall.

Figure 1.16: Dempsey Hall.

Figure 1.17: Fulton School.

Figure 1.18: Barton School.

18

Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture and the Académie Royale

d’Architecture had been combined into one. Its goal, very bluntly,

was study.24 One of the academy’s chief influences was the French

architect, J.-F. Blondel (1705-1774), who died prior to the academy’s

founding.

Blondel was an ardent supporter of logical thinking and using

classical examples, both of which were themes that resonated in

the academy. But, unlike his grandfather, François Blondel, he felt

a classical work could not just be copied. Due to “People’s needs,

customs, and politics; construction materials; the climate; even the

gods…,” architects had to adapt their designs to the immediate

conditions of the project and its environment, for no two situations

are identical. To accommodate those varying conditions though,

one had to be well-versed on the classical masterpieces.25

It was not until 1893, at the Columbian Exposition at the

Chicago’s World Fair, that the Beaux Arts style was really put on

display for the American public. According to author Richard Guy

Wilson, in his essay titled “Architecture and the reinterpretation of the

past in the American renaissance,” architect Ernest Flagg, a graduate

of the École des Beaux Arts who was known for his penchant of the

Beaux Arts style, thought the “…style offered the best promise of

creating a basis of taste and common sense.” Wilson continued by

quoting Flagg himself in saying that there was “…[no] such thing as

American architecture in the hodgepodge” and that by imitating the

French, perhaps American architects and designers could “…set the

fashion for the world.”26 Since the end of the Chicago’s World Fair

though, it was not just the Beaux Arts style that people had become

interested in, it was many others. In this period of eclecticism, for

many of the new civic and scholarly facilities of the United States,

the Beaux Arts style emerged as often times being the preferred.27

19

With Blodgett School being a place of learning and scholarly

activities, it seemed only natural that its character and theme would

be in the Beaux Arts tradition, though it could have easily been built

in the Collegiate Gothic style with no major changes to the overall

layout and use of the building. As mentioned earlier, James Randall

was responsible for Madison School. Madison, completed just two

years after Blodgett School, was finished in the Collegiate Gothic

style. (figure 1.20) Just by looking at examples from Syracuse,

it appears that the Beaux Arts style had a short-lived period of

use and expansion. In 1903, ten years after the Chicago’s World

Fair, Syracuse’s Central High School was completed. (figure 1.19)

Beaux Arts in style, this building was (and still is) quite detailed in

its ornamentation and was rather opulent for a public high school.

Another ten years or so afterwards though, the opulence of the Beaux

Arts style was already starting to diminish in Syracuse, as Blodgett

School is a much muted example, especially when compared to

Central High School. By the time Madison School was completed,

the Beaux Arts style had lost a good deal of ground as the Collegiate

Gothic took hold.

Despite being a muted example of the Beaux Arts, there are

many characteristics that make Blodgett School fall into the style.

(figure 1.21) In general, some of the features can include things

such as a flat roof, rusticated base with a raised main level, grand

staircase with separate secondary staircases, arched windows and

doors, symmetry, sculptures and imagery, and classical architectural

details such as columns, pilasters, balustrades, garland forms,

enriched entablatures, and balconies.28 A building does not have

to adhere to all of these features to be considered Beaux Arts, but

it does have to include a good number of them, which is the case

of Blodgett School. The school is by no means an elaborate piece

Figure 1.19: Central High School.

Figure 1.20: Madison School.

20

Figure 1.21: Blodgett School.

21

of architecture, but some of its major Beaux Arts features include

the grand staircase leading to the triumphal-arch-themed doors of

the main entrance, two engaged columns flanked by two pilasters,

overall symmetry, horizontal entablature carvings, and opposite

secondary side entrances (mentioned in the “Type” section of this

text).

Since the school was a publically-funded project, elaborate

architectural details may have taken a secondary role in the overall

design. Syracuse University’s Slocum Hall (1916-1918) was a gift

from a wealthy patron to the university.29 (figure 1.22) While there was

a budget and limitations as to what could be done in the planning of

Slocum, no one was held accountable to the scrutiny of an entire city.

With that in mind, the architect of Slocum Hall, was able to indulge

by including a grand staircase leading to a full portico (the staircase

was eventually removed and the portico made into a balcony), an

atrium that led to vast skylights above, as well as other features

such as interior marble columns and flooring. At one point in the

history of Slocum Hall, even a wall mural had been painted,30 which

was in keeping with the Beaux Arts tradition. Slocum Hall, though

not a shining example either, was aesthetically more interesting with

greater attention being paid to the finer details. This may have been

due to the private donation and the fact that it was college-aged

adults that would be using the facility and not younger high school

students.

With high school students at a public school, there was

certainly no need for statuary or fancy sculptural features, especially

when the whole intent of the school was to educate the students to

be everyday workers after graduation. It would almost have been

hypocritical for the school district to promote such pomp, only to

then preach the ordinary; it was a logical decision to avoid a ‘do

Figure 1.22: Slocum Hall.

22

as I say, not as I do’ scenario. Additionally, the rusticated base of

the building was essentially unnecessary. Altering the base with yet

another style of brick or cut of stone would have added wasteful

costs to the construction. The same rusticated effect was ultimately

achieved through a four foot high horizontal band of carved stone

layers that circled the building, further emphasized by the grand

staircase.

Building off of the rusticated base, which is composed of the

basement level, a hierarchy emerges. Above the implied base is a

layer made up of the first floor level and above that is a third layer

which is made up of the second and third floor levels. It is at this third

level where, on a false balcony, the engaged columns sit, extending

in height to just below the parapet. In between each of the three

layers is a horizontal band of carved stone, known as a belt course,

similar to the stone band above the ‘base.’ (figure 1.23) Without

the Beaux Arts features, or even without possible features from the

Collegiate Gothic style, the school would be quite unappealing and

rather banal, especially with the systematic use of large rectangular

windows. Taken a step further, towards the industrial, the building

may even begin to emulate the appearance of a warehouse or other

factory-like building of the period. In the case of Blodgett School,

however, the large windows were used primarily for the natural light

benefits on the east- and south-facing classrooms.31

MATERIALS, CONSTRUCTION, AND TECHNOLOGY The framing of Blodgett School is almost entirely made of

concrete. A two foot masonry wall around the perimeter, as well as

masonry walls on the interior, makes up the basement level vertical

supports.32 On the floors above, the vertical supports for most of

Figure 1.23: Blodgett School elevation.

23

the building are concrete columns approximately 20 inches by 30

inches.33 The floors throughout the structure are essentially concrete

slabs, made of elongated terra cotta tiles with two inches of concrete

above and in between the tiles, supported by concrete beams that

rest on the columns.34 The lunch room and auditorium are the two

places where extensive use of steel beams was employed.35 The

use of steel was likely due to the fact that there are no columns

or supports in the middle of each of these spaces and that the

roof spans were greater than what concrete allowed for. Further, a

mezzanine level was included in the auditorium and a customized

steel truss was created for the support of that.

On the exterior, brick, a rather customizable material that in

large quantities can be used to achieve immeasurable architectural

feats, was used as the primary facing material of Blodgett School.

Syracuse has long been home to some of the finest masons in the

United States and it only made sense to employ such resources.

For the Beaux Arts details, such as the horizontal banding, engaged

columns, and the balustrades, carved stone was used. Originally, it

was decided that the engaged columns were to be made of terra

cotta, but somewhere in the construction process, the specifications

had changed.36 Terra cotta is used at the parapet level though.

Blodgett School had a forced-air ventilation system in

employment, working in conjunction with a hot water radiator

system that was supplied by four large boilers located in the rear of

the building.37 Still in use today, but slated for replacement, the air

ventilation system supplied heated air to the entire building, except

the auditorium, which was on its own air system due to its need to

adjust temperatures quickly. Under most windows sat the radiators,

which supplemented the forced air system. The building was fully

equipped with a rudimentary electrical system that was a three-

24

wire, 110/220 volt setup;38 this is essentially the same as what is in

use today in most residential homes. The system supplied lighting

to all of the interior spaces, as well as, on average, one standard

(by today’s definition) electrical outlet per room. Gas, phone, and

time clock outlets were prominent features in many of the rooms.

In the event of a fire, an alarm system could be activated to alert an

evacuation, though no sprinklers were installed to help extinguish

any fire. The plumbing system was set up using lead-lined pipes

and was standard in its installation of sinks and toilet facilities.39 At

the center of the building, next to the main office, was an elevator

that traveled from the basement to the third floor. The elevator,

however, was of little use to an individual-in-need who was outside

of the building, seeing as the only means of entry was through doors

above or below grade, requiring the use of stairs.40

Blodgett School was a worthy example of what sound planning

and direction could achieve for a school district and a city. Its designers

employed the fashionable approach of the day when the Beaux Arts

style was used, but at the same time, the planning they did adjusted

those approaches to accommodate the needs of the district and

ultimately the students. Though it never displayed the most elegant

Beaux Arts details, it displayed enough to make its occupants know

they were in a place of academic achievement they could be proud

of. At the same time, the occupants could be physically comforted

by the most current use of mechanical technologies available,

providing warm air in the cooler months and additional light on a

cloudy day. Despite the school’s recent decline, in both stature and

physical condition, it remains a monument to the Near West Side

neighborhood and will likely be the recipient of future renovation

efforts, in order to reestablish the building to its former glory.

25

NOTES

1. George W. Fowler, The First 120 Years: An Historical Narrative of the Syracuse Public Schools (Syracuse, New York: Syracuse City School District, 1968), 78.

2. Fowler, First 120 Years, 77.

3. Board of Education Report: Syracuse, New York (Syracuse, New York: United Printing Company, Inc., 1930), 52.

4. Near West Side Initiative, Inc., “The Place :: Near West Side Story,” http://www.nearwestsidestory.org/place-overview.php.

5. “Near West Side Story.”

6. Sanborn Map Company. “Syracuse [Onondaga Co.], 1910-1928, vol. 1 – 1910, Sheet 176.” Digitally accessed through ProQuest, LLC. Environmental Data Resources, Inc., collection.


8. Evamaria Hardin, Syracuse Landmarks: An AIA Guide to Downtown and Historic Neighborhoods (Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press, 1993), 248.

9. Hardin, Syracuse Landmarks, 91.

10. Edmund March Wheelwright, School Architecture: A General Treatise for the Use of Architects and Others (Boston: Rogers and Manson, 1901), 6.

11. Merrick and Randall – Architect, “Vocational High School for the City of Syracuse, NY” (Syracuse, New York, 1915), drawing 5: basement plan.

12. “Vocational High School,” drawing 6: first floor plan.

13. Ibid., drawing 7: second floor plan.

14. Ibid., drawing 8: third floor plan.

15. University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, “UWM Campus Maps: Mitchell Hall,” http://www4.uwm.edu/map/buildings/vt-mit-prof.cfm.

16. “University of Wisconsin Oshkosh: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article,” http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/University_of_Wisconsin-Oshkosh#encyclopedia.

26

2717. United States Department of the Interior, “National Registry of Historic Places (10-900): Oshkosh State Normal School,” prepared by Paul R. Lusignan, acting architectural historian, September 1984.

18. United States Department of the Interior, “National Registry of Historic Places (10-900a): Oshkosh State Normal School,” prepared by Paul R. Lusignan, acting architectural historian, September 1984.

19. W. M. Bruce, “Modern School Architecture,” The American School Board Journal (April 1909): 10b.

20. Warren R. Briggs, Modern American School Buildings (New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1899), 91.

21. Briggs, Modern American School Buildings, 93.

22. Ibid.

23. Arthur Drexler, ed., The Architecture of the Ecole des beaux-arts (Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1977), 464.

24. Drexler, Architecture of the Ecole des beaux-arts, 61.

25. Ibid., 63.

26. Richard Guy Wilson, “Architecture and the reinterpretation of the past in the American renaissance,” American Architectural History: A Contemporary Reader, ed. Keith L. Eggener (New York: Routledge, 2004), 236.

27. Harold Bush-Brown, Beaux Arts to Bauhaus and Beyond (New York: Whitney Library of Design, 1976), 23.

28. Marilyn W. Klien and David P. Fogle, Clues to American Architecture (Montgomery, Alabama: Starrhill Press, 1986), 38.

29. Hardin, Syracuse Landmarks, 230.


31. William George Bruce, ed., Grade School Buildings, Book II (Milwaukee, Wisconsin: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1925), 58.

32. “Vocational High School,” drawing 5: basement floor plan.

33. Ibid., drawing 6: first floor plan.

34. Ibid., drawing 23: first floor concrete framing plan.

35. Ibid., drawing 28: first floor steel plan; drawing 29: second floor steel plan.

36. Ibid., drawing 10: detail of main entrance features.

37. Ibid., drawing 40: basement plan for heating and ventilation.

38. Ibid., drawing 36: second floor plan for wiring and plumbing.

39. Ibid., drawing 35: first floor plan for wiring and plumbing.

40. Ibid., drawing 6: first floor plan.

28

PART II

PART III

BASIC INFORMATIONDate: 1912, building commissioned by Syracuse Board of

Education; 1915 – 1918, dates of construction

Architect: James A. Randall

Client: Syracuse Public Schools / Syracuse Board of Education

Builder: Unknown

Purpose: To provide a Vocational High School and to lessen the

overcrowding the city was experiencing in the public schools

during the first decade of the 1900s.

TYPE AND PROGRAM A. B. Blodgett Vocational High School was built as an educational

facility to provide job-specific educations to students in their last

year(s) of high school. The city of Syracuse was growing at a rapid

pace and around the turn of the century, most of the city schools

were at or beyond capacity. Blodgett School helped to alleviate the

overcrowding in the city high schools.

FORMAL AND SPATIAL CONFIGURATION The four-story structure was entered by a grand staircase

which sits in front of the building’s symmetrical facade. At the top

of the grand staircase are three arched doors with a balustrade

and two Corinthian-styled columns above. Once inside the school

on the first floor, the interior exposes its two wings, one leading to

the gymnasium and the other leading to the auditorium. Lining the

corridors to each of these rooms are classrooms and the occasional

restroom. The ground floor was primarily used for mechanical services

and storage. The second and third floors were similar in layout to the

first floor, with additional classrooms, offices, and a library. At each

end of the two wings, secondary staircases led people up and down

ASSIGNMENT ONE9 October 2009

37

to the individual floors. (figure 3.1)

MATERIALS, CONSTRUCTION,AND TECHNOLOGY The building is clad in brick with carved granite pieces used

throughout on the exterior. The granite pieces are used on window

sills, door framing, parapet caps, the grand staircase, the front

columns, and the horizontal layers delineating the interior floors.

(figures 3.2 – 3.5)

The structure of the building is composed of concrete and

masonry bearing walls. The building, in the early part of the twentieth-

century, was classified as being fire-resistant by the Syracuse school

district, in one of its ten-year district evaluations. This meant that

while the bulk of the building was resistant to fire, major portions of

it, such as the extensive use of exposed hardwood floors, made it a

potential hazard.

At the moment, records are not available regarding the

construction process of Blodgett School. Nor are records available

for the major mechanical systems used within the school, though it

can be surmised that the facility was heated by a hot water or steam

radiator system, as was typical in many new public and residential

buildings of the time.

STYLE Blodgett School was designed and constructed in the Beaux

Arts Style, which was quite popular in the United States from

approximately 1880 to 1920. The style was commonly used for public

or institutional buildings, like Blodgett School. While buildings do not

have to adhere to an absolute and strict set of rules or guidelines to

be considered “Beaux Arts,” they do have to include a good number

38

of the traditionally accepted elements. Those elements include a

flat or low-pitched roof, a raised first floor, arched or pedimented

doors and windows, symmetry, a strong axial composition, a heavy

masonry plan, classical details (columns, parapets, balustrades,

enriched entablatures, garlands, balconies), and a grand staircase

leading to the main entrance with secondary side staircases; Blodgett

School displays all of these features. Some additional elements that

are considered Beaux Arts that are not included at Blodgett School

include a rusticated base, pilasters, and statuary figures. (figure 3.6)

LOCATION The school was built in the near West Side neighborhood of

Syracuse, just south of Fayette Street and west of West Street. At

the turn of the century, the neighborhood was home to some of the

wealthiest and affluent citizens of the city. Additionally, the site within

the neighborhood was chosen to help provide an even spread of

schools throughout the city limits. (figure 3.7) When Andrew Blodgett

was Superintendent of the Syracuse school district, it was his goal

to provide truly equal and quality educational facilities to all of the

students of the city.

39

1

2

34

5 5

5 5Figure 3.1: A. B. Blodgett Vocational High School, First Floor Plan. 1. Auditorium; 2. Cafeteria; 3. Oswego Street; 4. Grand Staircase / Main Entrance; 5. Secondary Entrances.

40

Figure 3.2: Blodgett School. Granite elements (framing, signage, lintels).

Figure 3.3: Blodgett School. Granite elements (engaged-columns, lintels).

Figure 3.5: Blodgett School. Granite elements (grand staircase, arched doorways).

Figure 3.4: Blodgett School. Granite elements (volutes).

41

Figure 3.6: (top) Blodgett School. Front facade showcasing the various Beaux Arts style elements.

Figure 3.7: (left) Senior High School Plan, 1930.

42

In 1899, a man by the name of Doctor Andrew Burr Blodgett

(figure 4.1) was elected as superintendent of Syracuse Public

Schools. Blodgett, born in 1850, and having started his career in

education in 1870, held the position of superintendent until his death

in 1910. During his tenure in office, he was relentless in his efforts

to provide quality facilities for both the students and faculty of the

district,1 making it known that he wished he could spend more time

in the schools and less with the menial day-to-day administrative

tasks his position demanded of him.2 By the end of the first decade

of the 20th century, just prior to his death, it had become apparent

to Blodgett that the city’s schools had been pushed to their limits

as the student population continued to expand. In some wards of

the city, the populations had increased by over 50% between 1900

and 1910; one ward actually grew over 80%.3 As a result, plans had

been initiated to begin the construction of several new academic

buildings. Though not all buildings had been commissioned at the

same time, between 1915 and 1919, seven new schools or additions

to school were completed. One of those schools was the Vocational

High School, later named after the man who led the school district

so steadfastly for over a decade, Andrew Burr Blodgett.

LOCATION A. B. Blodgett Vocational High School was constructed in the

neighborhood now known as the Near West Side. The Near West

Side neighborhood is situated just south of Fayette Street, which

ran parallel to the railroad in the early 1900s, west of West Street,

north of Lincoln Avenue and Onondaga Street, and east of Geddes

Street. The south region of this neighborhood was once home to

some of the wealthiest families in Syracuse, including the mayor at

one point.4 As one moved progressively north in the neighborhood,

ASSIGNMENT TWO2 November 2009

43

however, the homes became geared more towards the working

class. The residents were generally well-off in regards to income and

financial status, due to the fact that many were employed by nearby

companies such as the Carrier Company or Franklin Automotive,5

both of which were major economic leaders in Syracuse at the time.

Blodgett School today, as it did at the time of construction,

consumes the majority of its site and is bordered by Otisco and

Tully Streets to the north and south, respectively, with Oswego and

Seneca Streets on the east and west ends, respectively. The choice

in location was due in part to two main factors. One, on the west

end of the block, there originally sat May Public School; on the other

half sat approximately 13-14 homes.6 Eventually, the school district

acquired those homes with the intent of using the entire block for

the new school. The immediate vicinity was already tempered to the

presence of a school and aside from the removal of those 13 homes,

there was little disruption in the overall fabric of the neighborhood.

The second main factor was regarding the school district’s effort to

maintain an even spread of schools across the city. This was very

much keeping in line with Andrew Blodgett’s goal of providing equal

opportunities to all students in the city. During his time in office as

district superintendent, Blodgett’s administration accepted the goal

of providing ample opportunities for all students, regardless of “…

religion, race, color or sex,” to develop the skills necessary in life.7

The placement of Blodgett School in the Near West Side was just

one more way to help achieve those goals.

TYPE Blodgett School was commissioned by the Syracuse Board

of Education in 1912. James Randall, a local architect from the

firm, Merrick and Randall - Architects, was chosen to design the

44

new building. Randall was responsible for numerous other schools

in Syracuse, including the former Madison School (1917),8 as well

as the former Syracuse Public Library building (1905).9 Construction

of Blodgett School began in 1915 and was completed in time for

students to start classes in the fall of 1918. Officially, the school

was classified as a vocational high school. Though the concept has

evolved and changed since the early 1900s, a vocational school then

meant its curriculum revolved around teaching job-specific skills to

its students, which were both male and female upperclassmen. The

notion of attending a university or college after high school was not

in the mindset of most students at this point in United States history,

so a vocational facility would provide necessary job skills to help gain

employment upon graduation.

It is interesting to note also, that despite Andrew Blodgett’s

notion of achieving equal opportunity among the district’s students,

some old tendencies persisted in the planning of the school; whether

those tendencies were the result of Randall, the Board of Education,

or some other individual or entity, it is not known. Very visibly, even

today, separate entrances were designated on opposite ends of the

building for males and females, though they are not adhered to today.

It was likely the normal practice for the era, but physical features like

the carved marble with text stating “BOYS” and “GIRLS” over these

entrances are a constant reminder of what generations passed

thought was acceptable. Today, even among most conservative-

minded people, this distinction and segregation of the sexes is seen

as excessive.

FORMAL AND SPATIAL CONFIGURATION Segregation seems to be a common theme in the programmatic

configuration of Blodgett School, between men and women as well

45

as students and faculty. The school’s program, or purpose for each

space, has clear indications of segregation among the sexes. In

addition to necessary mechanical features, the basement level of

the building had the following rooms: printing room, elementary

machine room, advanced machine room, wood turning, pattern

making, elementary cabinet making, advanced cabinet making,

woodworking machinery, and finishing. Very plainly, these rooms

were directed at the male students, as many of them were likely to

become employed in the construction/building industry.10 The first

floor, or main level, was less segregated in that there were numerous

classrooms, drawing rooms (for blueprints), study rooms, the main

office, lunch room, and the auditorium.11 The second level provided

spaces for science-related courses (biology, chemistry, and physics),

the library, and a photo processing and dark room.12

Just as the basement level was geared towards the male

students, the third floor was geared towards the female students.

The rooms on this uppermost floor included: dress making and

sewing, millinery (hat making), book-keeping, applied design,

typewriting, stenography (shorthand writing), laundry facilities, and a

domestic science lab which housed a model dining room, kitchen,

and bedroom.13 The third floor of the school was programmed to

teach young women, probably not attending a normal school for

teaching, the skills they would need to be a subservient woman

in the workplace, or at the very least, a successful housewife or

homemaker. From one’s point of view in the early 21st century,

the separation of such facilities and courses seems degrading,

stereotypical, and absurd. But from the point of view of educators at

the turn of the 20th century, this was commonplace; they saw it as

their duty to make sure both men and women had the appropriate

skills necessary to join the American workforce in a manner befitting

46

that of society’s expectations.

This manner of planning was not unusual. Schools across the

country designed their facilities with gender in mind. Normal Schools,

mentioned previously, and their concept were continuing to expand

in popularity. Though overridingly used by more women than men,

the planning and configuration of many normal schools from the

early 1900s followed similar approaches to those of Blodgett School.

Mitchell Hall, now a part of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee,

was built as one such normal school. (figure 4.2) Construction of

Mitchell Hall began in 1909 and ended in 1912.14 The concept and

design style known as Beaux Arts will be discussed later in this

text, but Mitchell Hall falls into the category of being a Beaux Arts

building. On the front of the building, along North Downer Avenue, a

classical facade is presented, complete with monumental staircases,

columns, a base implying rustication, and the use of an entablature.

The interior was symmetrically planned and also included separate

side entrances. At the present, there is no indication that there

was any distinction between male and female entrances; those

distinctions may never have existed or they may have been removed

over the years as Mitchell Hall has been renovated and added on to

numerous times.

Another one of the numerous normal schools being built was

Dempsey Hall, from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, which

was the site of the first kindergarten program in the United States.15

(figure 4.3) This building was built between 1916 and 1918 and

was designed by the Milwaukee architectural firm, Van Ryn and De

Gelleke, who happened to be the same architects for Mitchell Hall.

With Dempsey Hall, however, though analogous in plan to Mitchell

Hall and Blodgett School with regards to the logics of planning, the

visual exterior of the building is much more reminiscent to the Gothic

47

revival style as opposed to the Beaux Arts.16 The plan of Dempsey

Hall was (and more or less still is today) symmetrical with secondary

side entrances and stairwells, a main lobby, interior furnishings

with extensive marble, and exterior treatments of carved stone, all

of which are similar to many of the features of both Mitchell Hall

and Blodgett School, but with noticeable differences. The stone

work, used primarily around the doors and windows of Dempsey

Hall is much more elaborate than a simple carved cornice piece,

showcasing animated stone characters in many places. Above the

main entrance, which is centered on a four-story tower, is a Tudor

arch framing the doors, complete with floral carvings.17

Despite being different, stylistically, in elevation, the many

similarities between the various schools of the country, including

Blodgett School and Dempsey and Mitchell Halls, help to mark a

consistent approach to education and how architects designed for

it at the start of the 20th century. Slowly, many of the Renaissance-

styled educational buildings, often times displaying influence from

the Italian palazzo typology, were being replaced with larger, grander

Beaux Arts buildings, but almost always with variation. This was the

case for both Dempsey Hall and Blodgett School as both buildings

replaced smaller palazzo-styled buildings.

STYLE As mentioned earlier, Blodgett School was designed and

constructed in the Beaux Arts style, which was quite popular in the

United States between 1880 and 1920, approximately. The Beaux

Arts style of the United States originated out of the influence the

École des Beaux Arts of Paris had over the architectural world. Over

500 Americans had attended the famous school,18 including Richard

Morris Hunt and John Russell Pope, and each of them brought back

48

to the United States their newly acquired knowledge as well as

their visions of implementation. The academy was officially founded

in 1819 after the schools of the Académie Royale de Peinture et

de Sculpture and the Académie Royale d’Architecture had been

combined into one. Its goal, very bluntly, was study.19 Though it was

typical for collective decisions to be made by “eminent” architects

of the day,20 the academy did have its individual champions, such

as the 18th century French Architect, J.-F. Blondel (1705-1774), who

died prior to the academy’s founding.

Blondel was an ardent supporter of logical thinking, using

classical examples and this was a theme that resonated in the

academy. But, unlike his grandfather, François Blondel, he felt a

classical work could not just be copied. Due to “People’s needs,

customs, and politics; construction materials; the climate; even the

gods…,” architects had to adapt their designs to the immediate

conditions of the project and its environment, for no two situations

are identical. To accommodate those varying conditions though,

one had to be well-versed on the classical masterpieces.21

It was not until 1893, at the Columbian Exposition at the

Chicago’s World Fair, that the Beaux Arts style was really put on

display for the American public. According to author Richard Guy

Wilson, in his essay titled “Architecture and the reinterpretation of the

past in the American renaissance,” architect Ernest Flagg, a graduate

of the École des Beaux Arts who was known for his penchant of the

Beaux Arts style, thought the “…style offered the best promise of

creating a basis of taste and common sense.” Wilson continued by

quoting Flagg himself in saying that there was “…[no] such thing as

American architecture in the hodgepodge” and that by imitating the

French, perhaps American architects and designers could “…set the

fashion for the world.”22 Since the end of the Chicago’s World Fair

49

though, it was not just the Beaux Arts style that people had become

interested in, it was many others. It is interesting to realize that in

this period of eclecticism, for many of the new civic and scholarly

facilities of the United States, the Beaux Arts style emerged as often

times being the preferred.23

With Blodgett School being a place of learning and scholarly

activities, it seemed only natural that its character and theme would

be in the Beaux Arts tradition. There are many characteristics

that make a building fall into the Beaux Arts style, such as a flat

roof, rusticated base with a raised main level, grand staircase

with separate secondary staircases, arched windows and doors,

symmetry, sculptures and imagery, and classical architectural

details such as columns, pilasters, balustrades, garland forms,

enriched entablatures, and balconies.24 A building does not have

to adhere to all of these features to be considered Beaux Arts, but

it does have to include a good number of them, which is the case

of Blodgett School. The school is by no means an elaborate piece

of architecture, but some of its major Beaux Arts features include

the grand staircase leading to the three arched doors of the main

entrance, two pilaster/columns (they are approximately ¾ of a column

attached to the main facade) flanked by two true pilasters, overall

symmetry, horizontal entablature carvings, and opposite secondary

side entrances (mentioned in the “Type” section of this text).

Being a publically-funded project, elaborate architectural

details may have taken a secondary role in the design of Blodgett

School. Unlike another Beaux Arts building in Syracuse, Syracuse

University’s Slocum Hall (1916-1918) was essentially a gift from

a wealthy patron.25 (figure 4.4) While there was a budget and

limitations as to what could be done in the planning of Slocum,

no one was held accountable to the scrutiny of an entire city. With

50

that in mind, the architect of Slocum Hall, was able to indulge by

including a grand staircase leading to a full portico (the staircase

was eventually removed and the portico made into a balcony), an

atrium that lead to vast skylights above, as well as other features

such as interior marble columns and flooring. At one point in the

history of Slocum Hall, even a wall mural had been painted,26 which

was in keeping with the Beaux Arts tradition. Slocum Hall, though

not a shining example either, was aesthetically more interesting with

greater attention being paid to the finer details. This may have been

due to the private donation and the fact that it was college-aged

adults that would be using the facility and not younger high school

students.

With high school students at a public school, there was

certainly no need for statuary or fancy sculptural features, especially

when the whole intent of the school was to educate the students to

be everyday workers after graduation. It would almost have been

hypocritical for the school district to promote such pomp, only to

then preach the ordinary; it was a logical decision to avoid a ‘do

as I say, not as I do’ scenario. Additionally, the rusticated base of

the building was essentially unnecessary. Altering the base with yet

another style of brick or cut of stone would have added wasteful

costs to the construction. The same rusticated affect was ultimately

achieved through a four foot thick horizontal band of carved stone

that circled the building, further emphasized by the grand staircase.

Building off of the rusticated base, which is composed of the

basement level, a hierarchy emerges. Above the implied base is a

layer made up of the first floor level and above that is a third layer

which is made up of the second and third floor levels. It is at this third

level where, on a false balcony, the pilaster/columns sit, extending in

height to just below the parapet. In between each of the three layers

51

is a horizontal band of carved stone, similar to the stone band above

the ‘base.’ Without the Beaux Arts features, the school would be

quite unappealing and rather banal, especially with the systematic

use of large rectangular windows. Taken a step further, towards the

industrial, the building may even begin to emulate the appearance

of a warehouse or other factory-like building of the period.

MATERIALS, CONSTRUCTION, AND TECHNOLOGY

The framing of Blodgett School is almost entirely made of

concrete. A two foot masonry wall around the perimeter, as well as

masonry walls on the interior, makes up the basement level vertical

supports.27 On the floors above, the vertical supports for most of

the building are concrete columns approximately 20 inches by 30

inches.28 The floors throughout the structure are essentially concrete

slabs, made of elongated terra cotta tiles with two inches of concrete

above and in between the tiles, supported by concrete beams that

rest on the columns.29 The lunch room and auditorium are the two

places where extensive use of steel beams was employed.30 The

use of steel was likely due to the fact that there are no columns

or supports in the middle of each of these spaces and that the

roof spans were greater than what concrete allowed for. Further, a

mezzanine level was included in the auditorium and a customized

steel truss was created for the support of that.

On the exterior, brick, a rather customizable material that in

large quantities can be used to achieve immeasurable architectural

feats, was used as the primary facing material of Blodgett School.

Syracuse has long been home to some of the finest masons in the

United States and it only made sense to employ such resources.

For the Beaux Arts details, such as the horizontal banding, pilaster/

52

columns, and the balustrades, carved stone was used. Originally,

it was decided that the pilaster/columns were to be made of terra

cotta, but somewhere in the planning and construction process, the

specifications had changed.31 Terra cotta is also employed at the

parapet level. (figure 4.5)

Blodgett School had a forced-air ventilation system in

employment, working in conjunction with a hot water radiator

system that was supplied by four large boilers located in the rear of

the building.32 Still in use today, but slated for replacement, the air

ventilation system supplied temperature-controlled air to the entire

building, except the auditorium, which was on its own air system

due to its need to adjust temperatures quickly. Under most windows

sat the radiators, which supplemented the forced air system. The

building was fully equipped with a rudimentary electrical system

that was a three-wire, 110/220 volt setup;33 this is essentially the

same as what is in use today in most residential homes. The system

supplied lighting to all of the interior spaces, as well as, on average,

one standard (by today’s definition) electrical outlet per room. Gas,

phone, and time clock outlets were prominent features in many of

the rooms. In the event of a fire, an alarm system could be activated

to alert an evacuation, though no sprinklers were installed to help

extinguish any fire. The plumbing system was set up using lead-

lined pipes and was standard in its installation of sinks and toilet

facilities.34 At the center of the building, next to the main office, was

an elevator that traveled from the basement to the third floor. The

elevator, however, was of little use to an individual-in-need who

was outside of the building, seeing as the only means of entry was

through doors above or below grade, requiring the use of stairs.35

Blodgett School was a worthy example of what sound planning

53

and direction could achieve for a school district and a city. Its designers

employed the fashionable approach of the day when the Beaux Arts

style was used, but at the same time, the planning they did adjusted

those approaches to accommodate the needs of the district and

ultimately the students. Though it never displayed the most elegant

Beaux Arts details, it displayed enough to make its occupants know

they were in a place of academic achievement they could be proud

of. At the same time, the occupants could be physically comforted

by the most current use of mechanical technologies available,

providing warm air in the cooler months and additional light on a

cloudy day. Despite the school’s recent decline, in both stature and

physical condition, it remains a monument to the Near West Side

neighborhood and will likely be the recipient of future renovation

efforts, in order to reestablish the building to its former glory.

54

NOTES

1. George W. Fowler, The First 120 Years: An Historical Narrative of the Syracuse Public Schools (Syracuse, New York: Syracuse City School District, 1968), 78. 2. Fowler, First 120 Years, 77. 3. Board of Education Report: Syracuse, New York (Syracuse, New York: United Printing Company, Inc., 1930), 52. 4. Near West Side Initiative, Inc., “The Place :: Near West Side Story,” http://www.nearwestsidestory.org/place-overview.php. 5. “Near West Side Story.” 6. Sanborn Map Company. “Syracuse [Onondaga Co.], 1910-1928, vol. 1 – 1910, Sheet 176.” Digitally accessed through ProQuest, LLC. Environmental Data Resources, Inc., collection. 7. Fowler, First 120 Years, 79. 8. Evamaria Hardin, Syracuse Landmarks: An AIA Guide to Downtown and Historic Neighborhoods (Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press, 1993), 248. 9. Hardin, Syracuse Landmarks, 91. 10. Merrick and Randall – Architect, “Vocational High School for the City of Syracuse, NY” (Syracuse, New York, 1915), drawing 5: basement plan. 11. “Vocational High School,” drawing 6: first floor plan. 12. Ibid., drawing 7: second floor plan. 13. Ibid., drawing 8: third floor plan. 14. University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, “UWM Campus Maps: Mitchell Hall,” http://www4.uwm.edu/map/buildings/vt-mit-prof.cfm. 15. “University of Wisconsin Oshkosh: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article,” http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/University_of_Wisconsin-Oshkosh#encyclopedia. 16. United States Department of the Interior, “National Registry of Historic Places (10-900): Oshkosh State Normal School,” prepared by Paul R. Lusignan, acting architectural historian, September 1984.

55

17. United States Department of the Interior, “National Registry of Historic Places (10-900a): Oshkosh State Normal School,” prepared by Paul R. Lusignan, acting architectural historian, September 1984. 18. Arthur Drexler, ed., The Architecture of the Ecole des beaux-arts (Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1977), 464. 19. Drexler, Architecture of the Ecole des beaux-arts, 61. 20. Ibid. 21. Ibid., 63. 22. Richard Guy Wilson, “Architecture and the reinterpretation of the past in the American renaissance,” American Architectural History: A Contemporary Reader, ed. Keith L. Eggener (New York: Routledge, 2004), 236. 23. Harold Bush-Brown, Beaux Arts to Bauhaus and Beyond (New York: Whitney Library of Design, 1976), 23. 24. Marilyn W. Klien and David P. Fogle, Clues to American Architecture (Montgomery, Alabama: Starrhill Press, 1986), 38. 25. Hardin, Syracuse Landmarks, 230. 26. Fowler, First 120 Years, 73. 27. “Vocational High School,” drawing 5: basement floor plan. 28. Ibid., drawing 6: first floor plan. 29. Ibid., drawing 23: first floor concrete framing plan. 30. Ibid., drawing 28: first floor steel plan; drawing 29: second floor steel plan. 31. Ibid., drawing 10: detail of main entrance features. 32. Ibid., drawing 40: basement plan for heating and ventilation. 33. Ibid., drawing 36: second floor plan for wiring and plumbing. 34. Ibid., drawing 35: first floor plan for wiring and plumbing. 35. Ibid., drawing 6: first floor plan.

56

BUILDING COMPARISONS1.

Name: Mitchell Hall (figure 4.2)

Location: 3203 North Downer Avenue – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Date: 1909-1912, renovated 1978

Architect: Van Ryn and De Gelleke

Client: Milwaukee State Normal School

Purpose: To provide larger facilities for the Milwaukee State Normal

School

2

Name: Dempsey Hall (figure 4.3)

Location: 800 Algoma Boulevard – Oshkosh, Wisconsin


Architect: Van Ryn and De Gelleke

Client: Oshkosh State Normal School

Purpose: To replace the former school, which was destroyed by

fire

3

Name: Slocum Hall (figure 4.4)

Location: Syracuse University – Syracuse, New York


Architect: Earl Hallenbeck and Frederick W. Revels

Client: College of Agriculture

Purpose: To provide updated facilities for the College of Agriculture

57

Figure 4.1: Andrew Burr Blodgett.

58

Figure 4.2: Mitchell Hall, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

59

Figure 4.3: Dempsey Hall, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

Figure 4.4: Slocum Hall, Syracuse University.

60

Figure 4.5: Blodgett Vocational High School, elevation.

61

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Board of Education Report: Syracuse, New York. Syracuse, New

York: United Printing Company, Inc., 1930.

This study was created and conducted by the Syracuse Board of Education in an attempt to take account of the current status of the city’s school district in 1930 and how to improve it. In addition to numerous graphs and charts, the text provides valuable demographic information of the city as well as important historic data on the city’s schools.

Briggs, Warren R. Modern American School Buildings. New York:

John Wiley and Sons, 1899.

Warren Briggs’ text describes the step-by-step process to building a modern school (as of 1899), everything from appropriations and competitions to coat rooms and bathrooms; showing examples of various types of possible school set- ups. The text reads like a treatise, making strong suggestions in one direction as opposed to another.

Bruce, William George. Grade School Buildings, Book II. Milwaukee,

Wisconsin: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1925.

Bruce’s text showcases hundreds of pages worth of schools, including photographs and their complete set of floor plans,

62

making it possible for relevant and meaningful analyses and comparisons between the schools in the text and those used outside of the text as part of the research.

Bruce, William George. “Modern School Architecture.” The American School Board Journal (April 1909): 10b.

This particular edition of the American School Board Journal briefly discusses the approach to building modern schools at the start of the 20th century, explaining that the former school designs and styles were no longer desired; it offers additional explanation as to why schools began to alter their design.

Bush-Brown, Harold. Beaux Arts to Bauhaus and Beyond. New York:

Whitney Library of Design, 1976.

As an architect himself, Harold Bush-Brown offers insight into his dealings and encounters with the Beaux Arts style; he provides a history of the style, discusses the lessening affects it had as the Modern movement pushed forward, and what typologies persisted in using the Beaux Arts style.

Chase, Frank H. Syracuse and its Environs: A History, Volume II. New

York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1924.

Frank Chase offers a complete, but often times summary, history of the city of Syracuse through this text. Though it

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reads more like a newspaper telling the news in an efficient and concise manner, it opens to door to further discovery and research by providing necessary base details.

Drexler, Arthur, ed. The Architecture of the Ecole des beaux-arts.

Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1977.

Compiled and edited by Arthur Drexler, this is a series of essays that supplies information regarding the history, reasons for, teaching methods, and the employment of the Beaux Arts style by architects, providing a context for the Beaux Arts style at the beginning of the 20th century.

Fowler, George W. The First 120 Years: An Historical Narrative of the Syracuse Public Schools. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse City

School District, 1968.

The First 120 Years was George Fowler’s effort to provide an updated history of the Syracuse Public School system. Fowler, a former chemistry teacher in the district, gives a detailed history of the creation of the district and as the narrative approaches the 20th century, he supports it with his own experiences and first-hand accounts.

Hardin, Evamaria. Syracuse Landmarks: An AIA Guide to Downtown and Historic Neighborhoods. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse

University Press, 1993.

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This text contains information on hundreds of examples of significant and historic architectural pieces in the city of Syracuse, which will provide valuable comparisons and analyses throughout the research process.

Klein, Marilyn W. and David P. Fogle. Clues to American Architecture.

Montgomery, Alabama: Starrhill Press, 1986.

This text provides a description of the Beaux Arts style in the American context, offering possibilities as to how it was (and still is) used in the United States.

Merrick and Randall – Architects. “Vocational High School for the

City of Syracuse, NY.” Syracuse, New York, 1915.

These replicas of the original linen blueprints make possible analyses of Blodgett School’s plan, program layout, construction methods, and mechanical/electrical systems.

Near West Side Initiative, Inc. “The Place :: Near West Side Story.”

http://www.nearwestsidestory.org/place-overview.php

(accessed 31 October 2009).

This comprehensive website was created to educate and inform the general public on the past, present, and future opportunities in Syracuse’s Near West Side, showcasing how former and

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current residents use the neighborhood.Sanborn Map Company. “Syracuse [Onondaga Co.], 1910-1928,

vol. 1 – 1910, Sheet 176.” Digitally accessed through ProQuest,

LLC. Environmental Data Resources, Inc., collection.

The Sanborn maps, originally made for insurance purposes, now provide a look into the layout of cities across the United States, including Syracuse, at various periods in history.

Smith, Edward. A history of the schools of Syracuse from its early settlement to.... (Syracuse, New York: C.W. Bardeen, 1893).

This text offers an in-depth historical look at the schools of Syracuse; it will present what the conditions of the city were like prior to the construction of Blodgett School, as well as others used as case studies and comparisons.

United States Department of the Interior. “National Registry of Historic

Places (10-900): Oshkosh State Normal School.” Prepared by

Paul R. Lusignan, acting architectural historian. September

1984.

This historic registry document provides information regarding the Oshkosh State Normal School, allowing for comparisons to be made between it and other schools, including Blodgett School.

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United States Department of the Interior. “National Registry of Historic

Places (10-900a): Oshkosh State Normal School.” Prepared by

Paul R. Lusignan, acting architectural historian. September

1984.

This is an additional historic registry document, offering further information on the Oshkosh State Normal School.

University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. “UWM Campus Maps:

Mitchell Hall.” http://www4.uwm.edu/map/buildings/vt-mit-

prof.cfm (accessed 30 October 2009).

The website of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee offers historic data on all of its campus buildings.

“University of Wisconsin Oshkosh: Facts, Discussion Forum, and

Encyclopedia Article.” http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/

topics/University_of_Wisconsin-Oshkosh#encyclopedia

(accessed 30 October 2009).

This website provides historic facts for the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, allowing for comparisons to be made between the state universities in Oshkosh and Milwaukee.

Wheelwright, Edmund March. School Architecture: A General Treatise for the Use of Architects and Others. Boston: Rogers

and Manson, 1901.

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This treatise describes the preferred method of school construction and how one should go about engaging in it in the early 1900s. This is the opinions and preferences of one man (E.M. Wheelwright), though he backs many of his suggestions with case-study examples.

Wilson, Richard Guy. “Architecture and the reinterpretation of the

past in the American renaissance.” American Architectural History: A Contemporary Reader. Edited by Keith L. Eggener.

New York: Routledge, 2004.

Keith Eggener’s comprehensive text provides insight into the numerous architectural styles of the United States by compiling several essays discussing major themes, including the Renaissance-revival and the Beaux Arts.

Zellie, Carole. “Minnesota Public Schools Historic Context Study.”

Prepared for the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation

Commission, Minneapolis, Minnesota, April, 2005.

This study provides a detailed look at the school systems of Minnesota, describing major milestones; this research will allow for a national comparison.

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FIGURE CREDITS

Cover Blodgett School; ca. 1918; black and white photograph; from Frank H.

Chase’s Syracuse and Its Environs: A History, Volume II (1924), following 830.

Inside Cover Students in Auditorium; 1962; black and white photograph; from

“The Viking” (Blodgett annual yearbook), back interior cover.

Figure 1.1. Andrew Burr Blodgett; ca. 1900; black and white photograph; from

George W. Fowler’s The First 120 Years: An Historical Narrative of the Syracuse

Public Schools (1968), 74.

Figure 1.2. Near West Side; ca. 1910; black and white map; Syracuse, New York.

Figure 1.3. Sanborn Map Company; Syracuse [Onondaga Co.]; 1910-1928; black

and white map.

Figure 1.4. Senior High School Plan; 1930; from Board of Education Report:

Syracuse, NY (1930), 16.

Figure 1.5. Madison Public School; ca. 1920; black and white photograph; from

William George Bruce’s Grade School Buildings, Book II (1925), 245.

Figure 1.6. Syracuse Public Library; ca. 1920; digital image courtesy of

americaslibrary.gov.

Figure 1.7. Mitchell Hall; 2009; digital image courtesy of flickr.com.

Figure 1.8. James Randall, architect; Blodgett Vocational School, ground floor;

from The American Architect (January 1921), Volume CXIX, No. 2353.

Figure 1.9. James Randall, architect; Blodgett Vocational School, first floor; from

The American Architect (January 1921), Volume CXIX, No. 2353.

Figure 1.10. James Randall, architect; Blodgett Vocational School, second floor;


Figure 1.11. James Randall, architect; Blodgett Vocational School, third floor;


Figure 1.12. Douglas Kahl (Barron, Wisconsin 1982- ), student; Dempsey Hall;

2006; digital image; Syracuse, New York; personal collection.

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Figure 1.13. May Public School; ca. 1890; black and white photograph; from

Edward Smith’s A history of the schools of Syracuse from its early settlements to...

(1893), 137.

Figure 1.14. Oshkosh Normal School; ca. 1880; black and white photograph;

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Historic Archives Collection.

Figure 1.15. Schofield Hall; ca. 2000; digital image courtesy of uwec.edu.

Figure 1.16. Dempsey Hall; ca. 2005; digital image courtesy of wikipedia.org.

Figure 1.17. Fulton School; 1915; black and white photograph; from Carole

Zellie’s “Minneapolis Public Schools Historic Context Study” (2005), 18.

Figure 1.18. Barton School; 1915; black and white photograph; from Carole

Zellie’s “Minneapolis Public Schools Historic Context Study” (2005), 18.

Figure 1.19. Syracuse Central High School; ca. 2000; digital image; from David

Hidalgo’s “ARC338: Assignment Two, Building Analysis and Comparison Study,

Central High School” (2009), 14.

Figure 1.20. Madison Public School; ca. 1920; black and white photograph; from

William George Bruce’s Grade School Buildings, Book II (1925), 246.

Figure 1.21. Blodgett School; ca. 1918; black and white photograph; from Frank

H. Chase’s Syracuse and Its Environs: A History, Volume II (1924), following 830.

Figure 1.22. Slocum Hall; ca. 2000; digital image courtesy of syr.edu.

Figure1.23. James Randall, architect; Blodgett Vocational High School front

elevation; 1915; reproduction of original linen blueprint; Syracuse, New York;

Syracuse City School District collection.

Figure 2.1. David Hidalgo, Douglas Kahl, Joshua Rosenfeld, students; School

Typology Networking Diagram, Board 1; digital image; Syracuse, New York;

personal collections.





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Figure 3.1. A. B. Blodgett Vocational High School, First Floor Plan; ca. 1918; digital

CAD image, redrawn by Douglas Kahl; Syracuse, New York, Syracuse City School

District – Facilities Management Department.

Figure 3.2. Douglas Kahl (Barron, Wisconsin 1982- ), student; Blodgett School,

Auditorium Entrance; 2008; digital image; Syracuse, New York, Personal Collection.


Front Facade Detail; 2008; digital image; Syracuse, New York, Personal Collection.


Front Facade Detail; 2008; digital image; Syracuse, New York, Personal Collection.


Grand Staircase; 2008; digital image; Syracuse, New York, Personal Collection.


Front Facade; 2008; digital image; Syracuse, New York, Personal Collection.

Figure 3.7. Senior High School Plan; 1930; from Board of Education Report:

Syracuse, NY (1930), 16.

Figure 4.1. Andrew Burr Blodgett; ca. 1900; black and white photograph; from

George W. Fowler’s The First 120 Years: An Historical Narrative of the Syracuse

Public Schools (1968), 74.

Figure 4.2. Mitchell Hall; 2009; digital image courtesy of flickr.com.

Figure 4.3. Douglas Kahl (Barron, Wisconsin 1982- ), student; Dempsey Hall;

2006; digital image; Syracuse, New York; personal collection.

Figure 4.4. Slocum Hall; ca. 2000; digital image courtesy of syr.edu.

Figure 4.5. James Randall, architect; Blodgett Vocational High School front

elevation; 1915; reproduction of original linen blueprint; Syracuse, New York;

Syracuse City School District collection.

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Blodgett School

Documents

Transcript of Blodgett School