Mid-20Th Century Modern Schools in Eugene, Oregon 1945-1968

Flexible Space, Supple Minds: th Mid-20 Century Modern Schools in Eugene, Oregon 1945-1968 Winston S. Churchill High School Source: Eugene School District No. 4. “Eugene Project Records, 1959-1977.” Eugene, OR: University of Oregon, Special Collections, Manuscripts and Archives, Box 163. Morgan Albertson and Hayli Ballentine University of Oregon AAAP511: Introduction to Historic Preservation December 7, 2015 Eugene Mid-20th Century Modern School Context 1 Table of Contents Part 1: Introduction Part 2: Mid-20th Century Progressive Education and Design – The Evolution of American School Architecture Part 3: Eugene, Oregon School System Part 4: Overview of Mid-20th Century Modern Schools Architectural Styles & Details Eugene, Oregon Part 5: Eugene, Oregon School Architects Part 6: Location and History of Remaining Mid-20th Century Schools in Eugene, Oregon Part 7: Relevant Questions and Reflections Part 8: Conclusion Appendices Bibliography Eugene Mid-20th Century Modern School Context 2 1. Introduction A historic context is a strategic planning document used to help identify and evaluate a community’s historic resources within a broader historical framework. The following paper serves as the “historical background” for the Eugene Mid-20th Century Modern School Facilities Historical Context. This portion of the context focuses on the historical trends, events, and developments that influenced how and why schools were built from 1945-1968 in Eugene, Oregon. During this time period, school construction and facility expansion were dictated by changing demographics, education reform, new construction methods, and new building standards. Historical revival styles were rejected and instead schools were designed to accommodate new reforms sweeping the education system; form followed function. The history and construction of each school in Eugene from 1945 to 1968 is briefly discussed in this document to provide guidance for evaluating and protecting these potentially significant historic resources in the future. 2. Mid-20th Century Progressive Education and Design - The Evolution of American School Architecture Public education in the United States has typically developed in response to larger, national historical patterns. These changing school trends are often then reflected in school building architecture. Over the last two centuries, this relationship between public school reform, architectural innovation, and public school design has greatly influenced the evolution of simple, single room schoolhouses to complex, thoughtful campuses. The modernization of school Eugene Mid-20th Century Modern School Context 3 buildings has consistently been used to advance public education as school improvement campaigns were also typically associated with improved teacher training and curriculum reform. Modern education began in the U.S. in the 19th century with the emergence of the “graded school,” where students of similar age were grouped together and taught at different levels. 1 Before 1900, early American education took place in small, rural non-descript one-room schoolhouses or urban factory-like schoolhouses, where the fundamental teaching strategy was strict recitation and textbook learning. School architecture was uniform and straightforward, not much thought was put into creating suitable learning environments. It wasn’t until the second half of the 19th century that education received regular government funding and political support, which led to greater importance placed on school design and appropriate facilities. 2 At this time, architecture was influenced by public funding, urbanization, modernization, and the health movement.3 By the turn of the 20th century, an education reform movement had developed in reaction to disorganized programs, unhealthy facilities, and a growing population. The proponents for progressive education argued that public schools should provide "education for life" by focusing on the individualism of students and the changing expectations of well-rounded students in the modern world.4 Traditional academic subjects such as language, mathematics, history, and science were augmented with physical education, health education, and vocational education. New, larger school buildings were constructed to accommodate increasing student enrollment and the diversified curriculum. For the first time, these new schools included gymnasiums, 1 Gislason, Neil, “Building Paradigms: Major Transformations in School Architecture (1798-2009),” The Alberta 2 Ibid, 235. 3 Ibid, 238. 4 Weisser, Amy, ““Little Red School House, What Now?”: Two Centuries of American Public School Architecture,” Journal of Planning History, vol. 5, no. 3 (2006): 200; Cremin, Lawrence A., The Transformation of the School: Progressivism in American education, 1876-1957 (New York: Random House, Inc., 1961), 259. Eugene Mid-20th Century Modern School Context 4 auditoriums, cafeterias, locker rooms, clinics, laboratories, and workshops; plus they had improved lighting, ventilation, safety, and sanitation.5 The exterior facades typically exhibited historical styles such as Greek Revival, Romanesque, and Gothic Revival. At this time, great emphasis was placed on elaborate school architecture to make education more attractive and appealing to the general public.6 Schools were increasingly thought of as "civic monuments" to demonstrate the country's dedication and investment in children and education.7 The progressive education movement established the importance of school architecture and its ability to convey the value and purpose of public education, a trend that would continue well into the 20th century. Progressive techniques continued to be regularly adopted in the 1920s and 1930s. After World War I, growing centralization of the school system resulted in the consolidation of school districts and increasing standardization of public education.8 By 1931, there were 127,531 school districts in the country, however, a survey of school architecture revealed the inadequacy of school facilities where convoluted school layouts and small classrooms were not conducive to new teaching techniques. 9 Educational reformists, such as John Dewey and Richard Neutra, began advocating for schools to foster greater communication, curiosity, and creativity.10 Progressive education and flexible learning environments were gaining popularity and becoming more widely accepted. Architects and school administrations began questioning whether rigid, classical revival school buildings could inspire children and prepare them for the future or if modernism would be more effective and encouraging of the new ideas. 5 Weisser, ““Little Red School House, What Now?”: Two Centuries of American Public School Architecture,” 200. 6 Ibid, 203. 7 Ibid, 200. 8 Cremin, Lawrence A., The Transformation of the School: Progressivism in American education, 1876-1957 (New York: Random House, Inc., 1961), 274. 9 Weisser, ““Little Red School House, What Now?”: Two Centuries of American Public School Architecture,” 207. 10 Ibid, 201. Eugene Mid-20th Century Modern School Context 5 Despite the new energy and effort put into school reform, there were many existing obstacles to overcome in order to implement this new “ideal school.” A National Education Association survey from 1935 showed that 687,611 students were attending school in condemned buildings and many others were only attending school part-time because of the lack of school facilities in their communities.11 However, despite the pressing need for new school construction and maintenance, very little building work was completed during the years of the Depression and World War II. The few schools that were built during this time explored how to apply modernism to school buildings. The Crow Island School in Winnetka, Illinois was designed by Larry Perkins and built in 1941. It was organized into a central administration and assembly hub which then was surrounded by extending classroom wings, classrooms were L- shaped to accommodate academic and non-academic learning, and all classrooms had access to the outside.12 The Heathcote Elementary School in Scarsdale, New York was built in 1941 and had a similar layout to the Crow Island School but was designed with considerable community input, as well as collaboration between the architects and teachers.13 While rare, experimental examples, these designs and architectural theory would influence the next 30 years of school design and construction. Following World War II, the U.S. experienced a population boom and fear of the “communist threat” was growing. 14 Public school enrollment increased across the country, and schools were suddenly forced to accommodate numbers of new students they had never seen before. In addition, public education garnered national significance because it was viewed as a 11 Weisser, ““Little Red School House, What Now?”: Two Centuries of American Public School Architecture,” 207. 12 Ibid., 209. 13 Ibid, 212. 14 Ogata, Amy F., “Building for Learning in Postwar American Elementary Schools,” Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, vol. 67, no. 4 (December 2008): 562. Eugene Mid-20th Century Modern School Context 6 tool to improve society and combat global competitors. The country immediately sprung into action and in 1950 spent $1,133,00,000 on educational facilities.15 Most of this school growth took place in suburban areas, which were experiencing a massive influx of new residents. Previously, most educational standards were often set in urban schools, however at

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