THEODORE ROOSEVELT JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL EUGENE, OREGON 1949–2016
Liz Carter
HERITAGE RESEARCH ASSOCIATES REPORT NO. 412
THEODORE ROOSEVELT JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL, EUGENE, OREGON, 1949–2016
by
Liz Carter
Prepared for
Eugene School District 4J Eugene, Oregon
Heritage Research Associates, Inc., 1997 Garden Avenue Eugene, Oregon 97405
March 2016
Heritage Research Associates Report No. 412
ABSTRACT
The 1949–1950 International Style Roosevelt Junior High (Middle) School, in Eugene, Lane County, Oregon, was designed by Portland architects Wolff and Phillips. Built to its current configuration over a period of years, it replaced the 1924 Roosevelt Junior High, which was converted to Condon Elementary School in 1953 and is now owned by the University of Oregon, known as Agate Hall. The subject school is representative of the community’s response to post-World War II population growth as well as the changing architectural trends of the mid-twentieth century. As evaluated under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Roosevelt Middle School was found to be historically significant for its association with post-World War II educational shifts and trends, and for its architectural character as a good local example of the International Style, which came into common use in the years following the war. Although not the first post-war school constructed in Eugene—it was preceded by Colin Kelly Junior High—and certainly not the last to be built in response to the Baby Boom, Roosevelt became a lauded focal point of new, progressive pedagogical approaches, and the building reflected those ideas architecturally. The original portion of the new school building was constructed in 1949–1950, with historic-period additions made between 1950 and 1957 (in 1950, 1951, 1954, 1955, and 1957). As need dictated, various incremental additions were made in the 1960s (in 1965 and 1968), and some minor alterations in 1976 and 1978. The building suffered a fire in 1985, the repairs from which resulted in some change to its front (north) facade appearance. Overall, however, the building retains sufficient historical integrity to convey its period of construction and its original character, design and architectural style. Today, Roosevelt Middle School is representative of the design and evolution of mid- twentieth century school buildings throughout the region. The original plan and subsequent additions follow the trends and needs of that time: to provide communities with safe, pleasant, economical schools for the rapidly growing student population. The Eugene School District 4J will demolish the building in 2016 and starting Fall of 2016 students will attend the newly completed Roosevelt Middle School, currently under construction immediately to the west of the subject building.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The research and preparation of this documentation report was funded by the Eugene School District 4J as partial mitigation for its construction of a new middle school on the property, and the subsequent demolition of this 1949–1950 building. Other components of the mitigation include Roosevelt Middle School student engagement, yearbook development and archive, development of the Roosevelt Middle School website, a community open house and feature presentation about the school’s history, and remembrance in the new school building. All are designed to provide future generations and researchers with historical and cultural information about the Roosevelt Junior High/Middle School and the period in which it was built and used. Kathryn Toepel of Heritage Research Associates provided project management and oversight, and Tama Tochihara provided research support. Jon Lauch, Director of Facilities Management at the 4J School District facilitated access to the building and to 4J’s collection of historical documents.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Abstract ...... iii Acknowledgements ...... iv List of Figures ...... vi List of Tables ...... x
INTRODUCTION ...... 1
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION ...... 2 Setting ...... 2 General Characteristics ...... 2 Exterior Description ...... 3 Interior Description ...... 4 Alterations ...... 8
HISTORIC BACKGROUND ...... 11 Significance Statement ...... 11 Contextual Background ...... 12 Mid-twentieth Century Educational Architecture and Its Architects ...... 18 Theodore Roosevelt Junior High (Middle) School ...... 22
SOURCES CONSULTED ...... 28
FIGURES ...... 32
APPENDICES Appendix A: Original Plan Drawings, 1949 Appendix B: Addition—Plan Drawings, 1951 Appendix C: Additions—Plan Drawings, 1954 Appendix D: Additions—Plan Drawings, 1955 Appendix E: Kitchen Expansion—Plan Drawings, 1957 Appendix F: Additions—Plan Drawings, 1965 Appendix G: Additions—Plan Drawings, 1968 Appendix H: Fire Damage Repair/Remodel—Plan Drawings, 1986
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LIST OF FIGURES
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1 USGS topographical map with Roosevelt Middle School indicated ...... 32 2 Lane County tax map ...... 32 3 Aerial view of Roosevelt Middle School site prior to construction of new school ...... 33 4 Aerial view of Roosevelt Middle School building ...... 33 5 Front elevation of Roosevelt Middle School from E. 24th Avenue ...... 34 6 Northeast corner of Roosevelt Middle School from Hilyard Street ...... 34 7 Southeast corner of Roosevelt Middle School from Hilyard Street ...... 34 8 East elevation of Roosevelt Middle School from Hilyard Street ...... 35 9 West elevation of Roosevelt Middle School from E. 24th Avenue ...... 35 10 West side of Roosevelt Middle School with play fields, view from E. 24th Avenue ...... 35 11 Roosevelt Middle School, current floor plan with various additions and dates indicated ...... 36 12 View of front elevation of school looking west from corner of E. 24th Avenue and Hilyard Street ...... 37 13 View of eastern end of front elevation of school looking east/southeast ...... 37 14 View of western end of front elevation of school looking west/southwest ..... 38 15 View of north elevation, looking east ...... 38 16 View of Boy’s Gymnasium and Gym Addition/Band Room, looking east/southeast ...... 39 17 View of west end of Boy’s Gymnasium doorway ...... 39 18 View of western end of rear elevation of school; 1968 gym addition to left, D Hall wing to right ...... 40 19 View of western end of rear elevation of school; 1968 gym addition to left, D Hall wing to right ...... 40 20 Paved play area ...... 41 21 Paved play area ...... 41 22 Paved play area, view looking west from B Hall doorway ...... 41
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LIST OF FIGURES (continued)
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23 South side of kitchen ...... 41 24 Girls’ Gymnasium and locker room ...... 41 25 View of east side elevation of Girls’ Gym and Music Room addition ...... 42 26 View of east side elevation of school looking south from corner of E. 24th Avenue and Hilyard Street ...... 42 27 Courtyard between E Hall and C Hall ...... 43 28 Courtyard outside A Hall ...... 43 29 Courtyard between A Hall and B Hall ...... 43 30 Doorway from A Hall breezeway into B Hall ...... 43 31 Front entrance and hall ...... 44 32 View of D Hall looking south ...... 44 33 B Hall doorway to paved play area ...... 44 34 View of E Hall ...... 44 35 View of C Hall looking east ...... 44 36 View of B Hall looking south ...... 44 37 Typical classroom ...... 45 38 Science classroom in A Hall ...... 45 39 Science classroom in A Hall ...... 45 40 Music Room ...... 46 41 Former Group Instruction Room, now used as a theater ...... 46 42 Home Economics Room ...... 46 43 Home Economics Room ...... 46 44 Wood Shop ...... 46 45 Wood Shop ...... 46 46 View of Library, looking east ...... 47 47 Library ...... 47 48 Reading Room ...... 47 49 Cafeteria with “stage” area at right of picture ...... 48
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LIST OF FIGURES (continued)
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50 View of Kitchen ...... 48 51 View of Kitchen ...... 48 52 View of Boys’ Gymnasium ...... 49 53 View of Boys’ Gymnasium ...... 49 54 View of Boys’ Gymnasium ...... 49 55 View of Girls’ Gymnasium ...... 50 56 Girls’ Gymnasium, view toward stage ...... 50 57 Band Room ...... 51 58 Band Room ...... 51 59 Bathroom ...... 51 60 Girls’ locker room ...... 51 61 1909 plat map of Driverton Addition, with site of Roosevelt Junior High School indicated ...... 52 62 1916 plat of vacated portion of Driverton Addition, with future location of Roosevelt Junior High School indicated ...... 53 63 Roosevelt Junior High School site, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1925 ...... 53 64 Aerial view of Roosevelt Junior High School site, 1936 ...... 54 65 Roosevelt Junior High School, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1948 ...... 55 66 Roosevelt Junior High School, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1962 ...... 56 67 Roosevelt Junior High School, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1970 ...... 56 68 View of the first Roosevelt Junior High School ...... 57 69 Aerial view of Roosevelt Junior High School under construction, 1949 ...... 57 70 Architects’ rendering of Roosevelt Junior High School ...... 58 71 “Newly constructed Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School, 680 East 24th Avenue, on the southwest corner of 24th Avenue and Hilyard Street ...... 58 72 Images from the Eugene Register Guard, July 25, 1950 ...... 59 73 First page of 1951 “Rough Rider,” Roosevelt Junior High School yearbook ...... 60
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LIST OF FIGURES (continued)
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74 View of façade of Roosevelt Junior High School, from School District 4 Annual Report, 1953 ...... 61 75 View of front entrance of Roosevelt Junior High School, from School District 4 Annual Report, 1953 ...... 61 76 Eugene Register Guard article with image of Roosevelt Junior High School shop space under construction ...... 62 77 Sketch drawing of school floor plan in 1958, prepared for parent open house ...... 63 78 View of front façade of Roosevelt Junior High School, from Annual Report 1959 ...... 63 79 Cover photo of 1967 “Rough Rider,” Roosevelt Junior High School yearbook ...... 64 80 View of front façade of Roosevelt Junior High School, from “Rough Rider,” Roosevelt Junior High School yearbook, 1983 ...... 64 81 Panoramic view of front façade of Roosevelt Junior High School, from “Rough Rider,” Roosevelt Junior High School Yearbook, 1988 ...... 64 82 A corner of the new Roosevelt Library.” From School District 4 Annual Report, 1951 ...... 65 83 Eugene Register Guard article with image of Roosevelt Junior High School library serving as classroom space ...... 65 84 View of kitchen and food preparation from 1954 Annual Report ...... 66 85 View of kitchen and food preparation from 1954 Annual Report ...... 66 86 Conference room used as storage, from Annual Report 1958 ...... 67 87 Studying in the library, from “Rough Rider” Yearbook, 1968 ...... 67 88 Students at Roosevelt Junior High School, from “Rough Rider” Yearbook, 1975...... 68 89 Students at Roosevelt Junior High School, from “Rough Rider” Yearbook, 1975...... 68 90 Student at Roosevelt Junior High School, from “Rough Rider” Yearbook, 1975...... 68 91 Interior corridor, from “Rough Rider,” Roosevelt Junior High School yearbook, 1976 ...... 69
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LIST OF FIGURES (continued)
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92 Page from 1986 “Rough Rider” Yearbook, illustrating fire damage ...... 70 93 Page from 1986 “Rough Rider” Yearbook, illustrating repair and rebuilding efforts and plan ...... 71 94 Page from 1987 “Rough Rider” Yearbook, illustrating fire damage and repair efforts ...... 72 95 Page from 1987 “Rough Rider” Yearbook, illustrating repair efforts and completed new entrance ...... 73
LIST OF TABLES
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1 Roosevelt Junior High (Middle) School, List of Alterations and Additions ... 9
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Theodore Roosevelt Junior High/Middle School, 1968
INTRODUCTION
The 1949–1950 International Style Roosevelt Junior High (Middle) School was designed by Portland architects Wolff and Phillips. Built to its current configuration over a period of years, it replaced the 1924 Roosevelt Junior High, which was converted to Condon Elementary School in 1953 and is now owned by the University of Oregon, known as Agate Hall. The subject school is representative of the community’s response to post- World War II population growth as well as the changing architectural trends of the mid- twentieth century. The original portion of the new school building was constructed in 1949–1950, with historic-period additions made between 1950 and 1957 (in 1950, 1951, 1954, 1955, and 1957). As need dictated, various incremental additions were made in the 1960s (in 1965 and 1968), and some minor alterations in 1976 and 1978. The building suffered a fire in 1985, the repairs from which resulted in some change to its front (north) facade appearance. Overall, however, the building retains sufficient historical integrity to convey its period of construction and its original character, design and architectural style. Today, Roosevelt Middle School is representative of the design and evolution of mid- twentieth century school buildings throughout the region. The original plan and subsequent additions follow the trends and needs of that time: to provide communities with safe, pleasant, economical schools for the rapidly growing student population.
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ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION
Setting (Figures 1–10) Roosevelt Junior High School, today known as Roosevelt Middle School, is located at 680 E. 24th Avenue in Eugene, Lane County, Oregon. Sited on a flat, irregularly shaped parcel about one mile south of Eugene’s commercial core, the International Style school building fronts north on the southwest corner of E. 24th Avenue and Hilyard Street in a neighborhood composed of mixed commercial and residential development, as well as open play fields and public park land (Figures 1–4). The school itself is bordered by lawn, trees, and sidewalks on the north (E. 24th Avenue) and east (Hilyard Street) sides, and by paved areas on the west and south sides (Figures 5–10). The new Roosevelt Middle School is currently under construction immediately to the west of the subject building, where formerly there were grassy play fields and tennis courts. Amazon Creek runs in a northwesterly direction along the western property boundary.
General Characteristics (Figures 4–19) A sprawling, single-story building that extends along both E. 24th Avenue and Hilyard Street, the school’s main entrance fronts north onto E. 24th Avenue. Today the complex is composed of multiple sections that are either structurally connected or linked by breezeways. In addition, there is a fully detached modular building in the courtyard south of the main building. The school has a very irregular plan roughly in the form of an asymmetrical U-shape, with sections identified today by halls lettered A through E (Figures 4 and 11). Within the U is a paved play area and a free-standing, modular building that houses the school’s drama classroom. Another internal outdoor space–a small interior courtyard–was formed with the addition of the science classrooms (A Hall) in 1968. The building rests on a poured concrete slab foundation; along the corridors beneath the concrete slab, pipe trenches provide utility conduits throughout the building (Appendix A). The wood- framed walls are clad in a combination of red roman brick, red standard brick, horizontal wood board siding, plywood sheet or T111, and sheet stucco/cement plaster, with the variation corresponding (to some degree) with the dates of the successive additions. The variety of aluminum and wood sash windows are arranged primarily in long expanses, or banks, of square-framed fixed sash and combinations of fixed and hopper or awning sash (Figures 12–14, 18–21). With the exception of the original gymnasiums, the building has a series of flat or shallow-sloped roofs with broad overhanging eaves. The bowed gymnasium roofs are framed with wood bowstring trusses, which allow for uninterrupted, expansive interior spaces. Typical of many mid-twentieth century designs, applied exterior ornament is minimal, and depends largely on building massing, materials, and fenestration patterns for stylistic expression.
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Roosevelt Junior High (Middle) School’s overall appearance reflects the International Style, which was commonly used on a variety of mid-twentieth century architecture including many of Eugene’s post-war school buildings, and was dramatically different from earlier styles. In the 1930s architects began designing buildings to emphasize and exploit the new materials and technology of the period. What became known as the “International” style was “...introduced into the United States by several distinguished practitioners who emigrated [from Europe to the U.S.] to escape the developing chaos in Europe.”1 Typical characteristics, many of which are seen on the subject building, included flat roofs, non-symmetry, use of connected rectangular forms, cantilevered projections, smooth wall surfaces, ribbons of windows, and a lack of the overt ornamentation or decorative detail that had been the norm on buildings of previous decades. The characteristics of the International style were well-suited to the emerging ideas about ideal learning environments, which eschewed multiple-story buildings (stairs were deemed dangerous) and centralized floor plans, and embraced one-story, spreading plans that offered each classroom an abundance of natural light and ready access to outdoor space. The earliest, L-shaped portion of the Roosevelt Junior High building, which originally encompassed about 49,000 square feet and is identified today as B and C Halls and part of D Hall, is composed of double-loaded corridors with classrooms or offices on either side, anchored by the girl’s gym and cafeteria at the south end of B Hall, and the boy’s gymnasium at the west end of C Hall (Figures 4 and 11; Appendix A). Between 1951 and 1957 four building episodes resulted in the addition of rooms to D Hall (1951), extensions to both B and D Halls (1954), the addition of the new Music Room (1955), and a Cafeteria expansion (1957) (Figures 4 and 11, Appendices B–E). In 1965, science classrooms (now A Hall) were added along the east elevation in the form of a separate building that is connected to the main school by covered breezeways. Additional classrooms and group instruction space, shop expansion and a gymnasium addition were built in 1968; the gymnasium has been in use as a music/band room for many years (Appendices F–G). The original school and its subsequent additions included traditional classrooms for general use, as well as spaces designed specifically for instruction in sewing, homemaking, shop activities, and science. As the building grew, the footprint evolved from an L shape, to a modified U, and eventually to a wholly irregular plan with classrooms infilling the U along with various other extensions.
Exterior Description (Figures 12–30) Roosevelt Junior High (Middle) School has a low-slung, streamlined profile that in spite of its expansive footprint is relatively unobtrusive on the landscape (Figures 5–10, 70, 71 and 78). The single-story building has wood-framed walls that are covered in several types of exterior cladding. Original sections make use of roman brick and horizontal
1 Virginia and Lee McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994), pp. 469-470.
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wood tongue-and-groove siding, while later additions are clad in standard red brick facing, horizontal lapped boards, and sheet plywood (Figures 15 and 18). A portion of the front (north) façade section that was rebuilt in 1986 following a fire is covered in sheet stucco, replacing the original roman brick and horizontal board siding (Figures 14 and 71). The original fenestration is balanced though not symmetrical, with square, wood-framed fixed and operable windows arranged in large panels and ribbons throughout the building. In most locations, the upper sash are fixed and lower sash are operable (hopper or awning). Long, continuous bands or banks of square, wood-framed windows were originally arranged along the street front (north and east) elevations, as well as along the sections of the south and west elevations that housed classrooms, providing generous natural light to the interior (Figures 12, 19, 29 and 37). This fenestration pattern persists throughout the building, save where it was damaged by fire in 1985. On that section the original ribbons and banks of wood-framed windows were replaced with closely spaced but un-connected aluminum sash windows. The northeastern corner of the building, perhaps the most publicly visible section of the building, retains an expansive bank of nearly foundation-to-eave windows that light the library that are character-defining for the building. Architectural details at Roosevelt are subtle and characteristic of the International Style, which typically exhibits a relatively clean, smooth exterior, yet is not devoid of visual interest. Play of light and shadow on the building’s exterior is achieved through the various connected volumes, changes in eave depth, and use of multiple compatible materials. In addition to the texture provided by variations in exterior cladding–two types of brick, horizontal wood siding, and sheet plywood–the banks of multi-paned windows contribute to surface interest while maintaining a clean, streamlined appearance. Entrances provide opportunity for some stylistic articulation, including double doors with simple transoms and sidelights in slightly recessed openings, in some cases with shallow integrated awnings and simple steel handrails (Figures 12, 13, 17, 30, 69, 73–75).
Interior Description (Figures 31–60) The building’s irregular floor plan and interior layout are organized by hallways or sections that today are identified by letters A through E (Figure 11; Appendices A–H). The original (1949–1950) section of the building consists of B and C Halls, which intersect at the Library at the northeast corner of the building, and are capped by the Cafeteria, Shop, and Girls’ Gymnasium at the south end and the Boys’ Gymnasium at the west, respectively. In this original plan, instructional and administrative spaces included classrooms (general classrooms; science, art, health and math classrooms; a music room; and a homemaking room), administrative rooms (general office, nurse’s office and faculty room) as well as utilitarian spaces such as the storage rooms and a boiler room. Subsequent additions (noted in Alterations section below) expanded on the basic plan by retaining specific functions while augmenting and improving classroom and shop space. A few small room additions took place in the 1970s and a portable classroom that houses the school’s theater department was added more recently. General classrooms throughout
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the building are rectangular, and average about 900 square feet in size. Specialized rooms, such as the music, homemaking and shop facilities are irregular, larger or smaller, as dictated by function and location. Corridors generally are 12 to 15 feet wide, with a larger central locker area in C Hall (the 1986 post-fire construction). Flooring throughout the building is primarily asphalt tile on a concrete slab with metal baseboards. Exceptions are the gymnasiums, which have hardwood flooring that appears to be the original maple, and the bathrooms, which have tile floors. Most corridor walls are finished with horizontal or vertical wood V-groove board wainscot with plaster walls above, the two finishes separated by a simple horizontal wood molding. In some areas painted brick spanning from exterior to interior forms the interior wall finish (as in E Hall), and full-height metal lockers are located along sections of walls in most major corridors (Figures 32, 34 and 35). The building’s bathrooms are all finished similarly, with the floors, baseboard, and 7-foot wainscot of tile, and the upper portion of the walls finished in plaster. Classroom wall finishes, like those in the corridors, are divided with plywood over gypsum board on the lower portion and plaster above. In the 1968 central section, identified as E Hall, corridors have brick-faced walls, some of which span interior to exterior. A nearly full-height wall of windows consisting of fixed upper sash and a bottom row of operable (hopper or awning) sash provides abundant light into each classroom, and the other walls are occupied by white board or bulletin boards (Figures 37–39). With the exception of the gymnasiums and the bathrooms, ceilings throughout the building are finished with acoustical tile; the ceiling level in some areas appears to be dropped from its original approximately 11-foot height, possibly the result HVAC improvements and/or the 1986 post-fire repairs. Most classrooms–both original and those added later–were designed with and retain conference or storage rooms at one end, which have glazed partition walls separating them from the main classroom. Wall finishes mimic those in the classroom, and some have built-in shelving and storage; many of the conference rooms are now used for storage. Some rooms with specific uses have particular design features to facilitate their designated functions (built-in risers in the Music Room and sinks and counter space in the science rooms, for example), though basic floor, wall, and ceiling finishes are similar throughout: tile flooring, walls of combination wood wainscot with plaster above, and acoustical tiled ceilings (Figures 37–45). The original 1949–1950 school design had a Homemaking Room included at the south end of what is now A Hall. The original room configuration was altered in 1954 when the southern portion of the Homemaking Room was converted for use as a Sewing Room (designed by Wolff & Zimmer) (Appendix C). It was later enlarged with a 1968 addition to the west, designed by Eugene architect and engineer William W. Wilson (Appendix G). Along the perimeter walls are several small, U-shaped, fully-equipped “kitchens,” each with a refrigerator, stove, oven, microwave oven, sink, wood cabinets and cupboards, and Formica-covered counter space (Figures 42 and 43). The center open space is occupied by dining tables.
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The original Music classroom was located at the south end of what is now B Hall, and in 1955 a new Music Room addition at the end of A and B Halls adjacent to the Girls’ Gym was constructed, designed by Wolff & Zimmer (Appendix D). The new facility provided built-in risers arranged in a chevron pattern to facilitate choral and instrumental music instruction, as well as a balcony, practice rooms, and storage space (Figure 40). Classrooms used specifically for science instruction were originally located in what is now identified as C Hall (which was damaged by fire in 1985). In 1965 four new science rooms were added to the east elevation of the original building along Hilyard Street (Figures 8, 26, 38 and 39; Appendix F). This addition, essentially a free-standing building connected to the main school by breezeways, was designed by Eugene architects Clare K. Hamlin & B. King Martin and constructed by Eldon Shields, general contractor. The four classrooms, the center two of which could be combined or separated via a folding door, were finished with tile floors, gypsum and sandalwood walls, and acoustical tile ceilings. The rooms were fitted with built-in perimeter shelving, counters, and sinks, as well as demonstration tables for the study of various science projects. Although some elements were built in, furniture in the classrooms consisted of tables and chairs, rather than the individual desks common in earlier twentieth century classrooms. Starting in the late 1950s, curricula encouraged group work, and moveable furniture facilitated the more creative, less rigid approach allowing for a variety of individual and group learning activities.
Gymnasiums The Boys and Girls Gymnasiums anchor the two original building wings at the south and west ends. A newer gym (band room) addition to the west side of the original Boys’ Gym was constructed in 1968 (Appendices A and G). The Girls’ Gym, which was designed also to serve as an auditorium, is located at the south end of the building complex (Figures 55 and 56). It is slightly smaller than the Boys’ Gym, measuring about 87′ 52′ with a 64′ wide by 24′ deep stage at the east end. The stage is framed with a simple, slightly projecting hood feature, and the backstage area is now being used as a weight room. The floors throughout are hardwood and appear to be the original maple. Walls are covered in a wainscot of horizontal V-groove wood board with simple cap, and painted plywood wall finish above. The 22-foot coved ceiling is covered in acoustical board. Girls’ locker room facilities are located along the north wall of the gym and include a locker room, bathroom, showers, a dry room, storage and an instructor’s room. The two banks of metal lockers and metal shelves and baskets along the walls appear to be original (Figure 60).
The larger Boys’ Gym measures about 100′ 73′ and has no stage (Figures 52–54). As in the Girls’ Gym, the floors are hardwood, presumably the original maple. Walls are covered in natural-finish, V-groove horizontal boards with a painted plywood wall finish above. Along the long east and west walls the original folding bleachers remain in place and operable. The 22-foot ceilings are covered in acoustical board. The boys’ locker
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room facilities are situated along the south side of the gymnasium, and include the locker room, bathroom, showers, dry room, exercise room, storage and an instructor’s room. To the west side of the original Boys’ Gym a smaller, third gymnasium was added in 1968 (Figures 16, 57 and 58). The 72′ 82′ space was built with a poured concrete perimeter foundation, wood-framed walls and a nearly flat roof supported by massive glued laminated (glulam) beams; the interior ceiling height is 20′ 6″. The interior finishes are/were similar to the earlier gymnasiums, with maple floors, wood wainscot and “Tectum” (acoustical panels) on the upper portion of the walls. Although plans indicate this was designed as a gymnasium, the space has long been used as a large music/band room.
Library The irregularly shaped library is located at the northeast corner of the building plan. The room’s long north wall is notable for the two-thirds-height window wall composed of square, wood-framed windows above built-in bookshelves that were added at some point after the original construction. All other walls are lined with built-in, naturally finished wood shelving with upper sections of plaster. The ceiling, which is angled upward to capture the full light of the window wall, is covered in acoustical tile (Figures 46–47 and 82–83). A small library conference room and a workroom are located off the southern wall of the main library, and in 1965 two additional rooms were added to the south of the library to house a Reserve Reading Room and a Workroom (Figure 48). Although not indicated in building plans, the librarian’s desk that remains in the center of the main library room appears to be original or an early addition.
Cafeteria and Kitchen The school cafeteria is located at the south end of what is now A Hall, just west of the Girls’ Gymnasium (Figure 11). This unusual, fan-shaped room, labeled on original plans as “Cafeteria and Band Room,” historically included a platform at the west end that was elevated 24” above the main floor level. While the spatial arrangement remains, the “platform” has been removed and the floor level is now consistent throughout the cafeteria space. Originally designed with a series of drop-down tables recessed into the north and south (long) walls, the cafeteria now utilizes moveable tables and the wall recesses have been infilled (Figure 49). The kitchen is situated immediately adjacent to the cafeteria to the south, and was enlarged and remodeled in 1957 per designs by Hamlin and Martin. The kitchen work area was expanded to the south by about four feet, the overall layout adjusted, and the faculty dining area was enlarged. According to a 1959 school newsletter description, “The major equipment in the kitchen is an oven with three stacks, two stoves which each have ovens, refrigerator, a freezer for ice cream, a steam jacket kettle for soup, a walk-in
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cooler for milk, and dishwashers.”2 While much of the equipment has been updated or replaced, built-in elements such as the walk-in cooler remain intact. One of the most notable and visually interesting original features of this largely utilitarian space, the curved tray-slide serving counter, was retained but its position was shifted slightly to the north during the remodel (Figures 50 and 51).
Alterations As noted, there have been a number of historic additions and alterations to Roosevelt Junior High School over the years, with over 25 new spaces including classrooms, storage, offices, and a gymnasium, added at different times in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s (Table 1; Figures 65–67; Appendices A–G). Most of these changes and expansions were anticipated from the time of the building’s original design, and they consist largely of added square footage and the rearrangement or re-purposing of existing spaces to accommodate both increased student population and specific educational functions. The design compatibility of alterations made in the two decades following initial construction (through the 1960s) makes for nearly seamless continuation of the building in terms of massing, materials and overall appearance. These additions occurred predominantly to the rear (south) of the main volume, and are not readily visible from the street elevations (Hilyard Street and E. 24th Avenue). The exceptions are the 1965 science classroom addition on the east side along Hilyard Street, and a 1968 gymnasium addition to the west end. The most visible change was the unplanned 1986 repair made following a 1985 fire, which resulted in spatial and visual changes to the central portion of the front elevation along E. 24th Avenue.
1950–1955 The four projects built in the five years following initial construction were all designed by Wolff & Phillips, and after 1952, Wolff & Zimmer. The added space, which encompassed over 13,400 square feet, included seven new classrooms (in A, B and D Halls), a sewing room (in B Hall), shop space (in B Hall west of the cafeteria), and a music room (A Hall) (Figure 76; Appendices A–D).
1957–1965 Additions made in 1957 and 1965 were designed by Hamlin and Martin who were responsible for the design of a number of other District 4 (later 4J) buildings of this period including Twin Oakes Elementary (1953–1954), Jefferson Junior High (1957), and Meadow Lark Elementary (1960), among others.3 Their work at Roosevelt included the kitchen expansion of 1957 and the design of the 1965 science classroom addition (now
2 “Cooks Interviewed,” in “Rough Rider, Vol. 1958-59, No. 9.” (Eugene, Oregon: Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School, March 6, 1959), p. 4. 3 Herman Lawson, A System of Uncommon Schools: The History of Eugene 4J School District, 1854-1985. (Eugene, Oregon: School District 4J Lane County, 1985?), p. 83.
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Table 1. Roosevelt Junior High (Middle) School, List of Alterations and Additions.
Year Addition/Alteration Architect 1949–1950 Original design Wolff & Phillips 1950 Two classrooms added – D Hall Wolff & Phillips 1951 Three classrooms added – D Hall Wolff & Phillips
Two classrooms added – D Hall 1954 Wolff & Zimmer Sewing Room and Shop Space added – B Hall
1955 New Music Room – A Hall Wolff & Zimmer 1957 Kitchen expanded Hamlin & Martin
New science classrooms added – A Hall 1965 Hamlin & Martin Library expanded – A Hall
New shop space added – A Hall Two new classrooms added – D Hall 1968 William W. Wilson Five new classrooms added – E Hall Gymnasium addition – west of Boys’ Gym
1976, 1978 Small alterations to D Hall 1986 Remodel of front (north) central portion – C Hall The Balzhiser Group
A Hall), as well as the addition of two rooms to the southern side of the library for a total of nearly 6,000 additional square feet (Appendices E–F). The science classroom addition is separate from and sits parallel with the southern arm of the original design, forming a small courtyard between the old and new sections (Figures 28 and 29). While its solid brick-faced wall is a departure from the visible window-wall of the original eastern elevation, the scale and design of the addition does not protrude or detract significantly from the building’s original appearance (Figures 8 and 26).
1968–1978 The new work of 1968 added a significant amount of space to the school complex. Designed by Eugene architect William W. Wilson, spaces included seven new classrooms (including group instruction space), additional shop space, and a gymnasium addition, all totaling over 22,500 square feet (Appendix G). Five of the seven added classrooms were part of an entirely new component to the building, constructed on the south side within the courtyard of the U-shaped plan (Figures 11, 65–67). The layout included four classrooms surrounding a central group instruction room, which is
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illustrative of the tenets and influence of the Eugene Project. Today the classrooms remain and the group instruction room functions as a small theater. Shop space for electronics and drafting was added to the north end of the welding shop, and the square footage of the homemaking room was nearly doubled. The gymnasium addition of 1968 is situated on the west end of the original Boys’ Gym. This smaller gymnasium, used for years as a band room, is significantly set back from the front plane of the original building, and is an unobtrusive addition to the school’s physical education facilities. Two small projects in 1976 and 1978 resulted in a 1,490-square-foot addition and a small space remodel, respectively. Both were part of D Hall.
1986 A fire in 1985 resulted in the 1986 repair/reconstruction of over 11,000 square feet of the front-central portion of the building (Figures 92–95; Appendix H). The repair changed its facade appearance somewhat although the new design does nod to the original with the continued use of ribbons of square windows, the boxy massing with horizontal emphasis, and use of modern materials. As a result of this work, the front entrance was relocated a few feet west of its original portal (which remains in place but is now blank) (Figure 13). The broad expanse of windows that spanned the northern facade was lost in the fire, and was replaced with a narrower but still-continuous band of square aluminum sash windows (Figure 14). This rebuilt section is clad in sheet stucco, rather than the original red brick, making it clearly discernable and yet in many ways compatible (in scale, overall simplicity of style and design, and fenestration) with the historic portion of the building. The interior space was altered and expanded slightly, though function changed little. The renovation retained the double-loaded corridor plan, offices, nurse’s office, boiler room, faculty room and classrooms, but widened the corridor and bumped the front facade outward about six feet (Figure 15).
Post-1986 In the last thirty years, few changes have been made to the building floor plan. System upgrades have included HVAC improvements (1998), work on the fire system (2003), and the creation of a “quiet room” (2008). Apart from the 1986 post-fire renovations, the building remains essentially as it was following the last major additions in 1968. Today, Roosevelt Middle School stands as a representative of the design and evolution of mid-twentieth century school buildings. The original plan and subsequent additions follow the trend of that time: to provide communities with safe, pleasant, economical and expandable schools for the rapidly growing student population.
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HISTORIC BACKGROUND
Significance Statement Roosevelt Middle School, the historic portion of which was constructed incrementally between 1949 and 1968, is eligible for listing in the National Register under Criterion A in the area of Education for its association with and representation of post-World War II population growth and changing trends in education and educational facilities in the city of Eugene and the 4J School District. It also meets Criterion C in the area of Architecture as a good example of a mid-twentieth century school that embodies the characteristics of post-World War II school designs, which were responding both to unprecedented population growth and the dominant architectural trends of the time. Roosevelt has been a significant fixture in the Eugene community for the past sixty-five years. Eugene’s population boomed in the years after World War II, rising from fewer than 21,000 inhabitants in 1940 to over 35,000 by 1950 and nearly 51,000 by 1960.4 This increase in population fueled growth in all parts of Eugene, including residential development in the southern part of town, which in turn led to a pressing need for new schools. As noted in the Eugene Area Historic Context Statement prepared for the City of Eugene, “...the post-war economy focused on reconstruction and new housing across the nation and Eugene entered a period of phenomenal growth and residential expansion.”5 The present-day school building, with its multiple additions made in quick succession, reflects the community and educational system’s architectural response to mid-twentieth century population growth. Originally built in 1949–1950, the building was almost immediately at capacity, prompting plans for the addition of two classrooms before the school was complete and open to students. On the heels of this initial construction, nine additions in seven building episodes were made in the following twenty years to accommodate the persistent and significant growth in student population. Today the school readily reflects this growth trend, with compatible, historic-period additions extending from and integrated with the original 1949 building to form, in aggregate, a typical post-World War II suburban school complex. Roosevelt Junior High (Middle) School was built in the International Style, which was commonly employed in commercial and institutional construction during the post-World War II years. The school was designed by the Portland architectural firm of George Melville Wolff and Truman Phillips, who were well known throughout the Pacific Northwest for their work on public buildings. Following the design trend for new schools
4 United States Census Bureau, “Census of Population and Housing,” (1940, 1950 and 1960).
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to accommodate expansion as needed, Roosevelt was built and then enlarged several times over a twenty-year period between 1949 and 1968. It embodies the distinctive characteristics of mid-twentieth-century style in its sprawling plan, horizontal massing, use of modern materials, and overall design, all of which were typical features of school design during the post-World War II era. The original building and four subsequent additions (those made in 1950, 1951, 1954 and 1955) were all designed by the same architecture firm, Wolff and Phillips Architecture (later Wolff and Zimmer) of Portland, Oregon, and thus reflect a high degree of design consistency both inside and out. Additions made between 1957 and 1968 (from designs by Hamlin & Martin and William Wilson) were also visually and materially compatible with the earlier sections of the building. Roosevelt Junior High was called out in a 1950 article in the publication Architect and Engineer:
One of the most unusual of the single-story schools built in the Northwest is the Roosevelt Junior High School at Eugene, Oregon, which combines a striking treatment of building arrangement to conform to an irregular lot size. The architects have developed an unique utilization of space to give maximum efficiency in a structure as large as this particular school.6 Despite the nearly twenty years of alterations, with designs by three different architects, as well as repairs made in the mid-1980s by a fourth architectural firm, the building clearly continues to read as a mid-twentieth-century International Style school reflecting the demographic pressures, education trends, and architectural design influences of its time.
Contextual Background The community of Eugene began with arrival of Eugene and Mary Skinner, who settled a land claim and built a cabin at the foot of Skinner Butte in 1846. Less than ten years later, in the early 1850s, “Eugene’s first school was held...in a farm house owned by Fielden [and Harriet] McMurray. Shortly thereafter, Hill School, as it was called, was erected on the McMurray donation land claim farm.”7 The schoolteacher, Eugene’s first, was Miss Sarah Ann Moore, who came daily from Goshen to teach the handful of local students who paid tuition to attend this small, private school.8 “In Eugene the private school idea had an exceedingly firm hold, owing doubtless to the fact that so large a proportion of the early settlers came from states where public education was not as yet much developed.”9 In spite of the dominance of private schools during the first twenty years of Eugene’s existence, in 1854 or 1855 School District 4 was
6 Albert Priaulx, “Single Story School Building Has Solved a Vexing Problem,” Architect and Engineer Vol. 183, No.1 (October 1950), p. 22 7 Lawson, Uncommon Schools..., p. 1. The school was in existence by August of 1854, as it was mentioned in government survey notes of the McMurry donation land claim from that time. This school, also known as the “Point of the Hills School,” was commemorated in 1959 with a plaque, located at the base of the Masonic Cemetery hill at 25th Avenue and University Street. Like most early Oregon schools, it was private, supported by individual student tuition. 8 Joseph Schafer, “An Historical Survey of Public Education in Eugene, Oregon,” The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society Vol. 2, No. 1 (March 1901), p. 55. 9 Schafer, “An Historical Survey...”, p. 55.
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established (the fourth in Lane County), and the first public school was built soon thereafter near 11th Avenue and Olive Street.10 Other public and private schools followed, including a private school of higher learning, Columbia College, which was founded by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1856 with Reverend Enoch P. Henderson as the head; that school was located in the present-day College Hill Neighborhood, along 19th Avenue between Charnelton and Olive Streets. By 1867 there were reportedly five private schools in operation, and debate flourished regarding the need and benefits of private versus public schools.11 As more settlers arrived in the area, the need for regular financial support of a public school system–one that would be affordable and available to all students–became apparent. Crowded schools was an early theme, and the Eugene Register reported in 1869 that,
District Number 4 has three hundred thirty pupils of age entitled to public funds. District 4 has but one school house, and that will hold but seventy scholars. And the most shameful part of the whole is, that one school house is in a condition that is a disgrace and shame to our people. [...] Eugene is best supplied with churches and the poorest supplied with school houses (public ones, we mean) of any town in Oregon.12 The scathing report seems to have pushed the citizenry to approve a school tax, which was used to repair and expand the existing small school building. In 1878 that early building was replaced by the larger Central School, also located at 11th and Olive. In subsequent decades, school construction continued with elementary schools Geary (1890) and Patterson (1901), and the organization of Eugene’s first high school in 1897.13 By 1902, “...Eugene had become a school system, grades 1–12, and the community seemed to have a positive feeling toward its schools.”14 A high school was built in 1906 at 11th Avenue and Willamette Street. As the general population grew, student enrollment continued to increase and 1909 bond funded the construction of Condon Elementary School at 15th and Moss and Lincoln Elementary School at 9th and Monroe; a second high school was built in 1915 at 17th and Charnelton.15 Until the second decade of the twentieth century, junior high schools (now middle schools) did not exist. The earliest schools were not “graded” schools; students were mixed, not separated according to age or level. Once graded schools became
10 Lawson, Uncommon Schools..., p. 3; Schafer, “An Historical Survey...,” p. 56. School District 4 became School District 4J in 1968, the “J” added to reflect that it was a joint district (a small portion of Linn County is included in the district area). Lawson, Uncommon Schools..., p. 235. 11 Schafer, “An Historical Survey...,” pp. 61, 66, and 72. 12 Lawson, Uncommon Schools..., p. 3 from Eugene Register, January 9, 1869. 13 Geary School was located near Madison Street on W. 4th Avenue, and Patterson on Alder Street between E. 12th and 13th Avenues. The first high school was held in the former Lane County Courthouse building, which was moved a short distance from its original site on the Park Blocks, where it served as the high school from 1897-1900. A new high school building was constructed in 1904 at E. 11th Avenue and Willamette Street (now demolished). The growth of Eugene’s public schools, particularly the high school, was apparently somewhat slowed by the presence of the University of Oregon, which provided opportunity for education beyond the basic eight grades. Schafer, “An Historical Survey...,” pp. 7 and 57; Eugene Public Schools Annual Report: Eugene Schools Now and Then (Eugene, Oregon: School District No. 4, 1951), p. 25. 14 Lawson, Uncommon Schools..., p. 11. 15 Lawson, Uncommon Schools..., pp. 16 and 19.
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commonplace, students attended elementary schools through grade eight, and high schools for grades nine through twelve. The first junior high school in Oregon was established in McMinnville (Yamhill County) in 1914, followed by two others in Salem (Marion County) and Albany (Linn County) in 1915.16 The history of junior high or middle schools in Eugene School District 4 began with Board of Education discussions in 1913, but the idea was not realized until 1916 with the construction of “the Junior High School Building” on Olive Street between 13th and 14th Avenues. “After...the junior high in 1916, no other schools were built in District No. 4 until 1924 when Wilson and Roosevelt Junior High Schools were opened (Figure 68). The increasing student population prompted the passage of a levy to fund construction of the two new junior high buildings, which had a combined enrollment of 725.17 The 1918 city directory touted Eugene’s schools system: “Eugene...has a fine public school system, with five grade buildings and one large High School. A Theological School, a Business College, a Catholic School, and School for Girls, and the finest Y.M.C.A. building in the state outside of Portland, in addition to the University and the city schools, make Eugene an educational center.”18 Between 1925 and the early 1940s, the number of students in Eugene’s schools grew steadily. The area experienced a significant influx of population during the World War II period, increasing from 30,000 to 50,000 within a few years, the result of a boom in the lumber and transportation industries.19 “The [student population] situation in the suburban areas around Eugene was even more pressing and as early as 1939 overtures for consolidation were being made to the Eugene school district.”20 By 1940 both Wilson and Roosevelt Junior High buildings were near capacity and the smaller adjoining school districts were also approaching their limits.21 “The result was that the suburban schools in many cases were conducting classes in halls, operating on half-day shifts, holding classes in their basement lunchrooms, and cutting up their gymnasiums for classroom space. [...] Even within the city...the saturation point had been reached.”22 After careful analysis and a series of informational public meetings, it was determined that voluntary consolidation was likely the most advantageous solution.23 Consolidation was not technically mandatory, but in some cases it was perceived as a “takeover” by larger districts even though it was often the only way smaller schools could survive.24
16 Erwin J. Juilfs, “A History of Junior High Schools in Oregon, 1914-1957.” University of Oregon Doctoral Thesis, Department of Education (1958), p. 128. 17 Juilfs, “A History of Junior High Schools...,” p. 135; Lawson, Uncommon Schools..., p. 27. Woodrow Wilson Junior High was constructed on the block between Jefferson and Madison Streets and W. 12th and W. 13th Avenues. The first Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School still stands at 17th Avenue and Agate Street, and is now owned by the University of Oregon. 18 Polk’s Eugene City and Lane County Directory (Portland, Oregon: R.L. Polk & Company, 1918), p. 11. 19 Clarence Hines, “We Consolidated Our Problems,” American School Board Journal (Dec. 1947), p. 27. 20 Juilfs, “A History of Junior High Schools...,” p. 146. 21 Ibid. 22 Hines, “We Consolidated...,” p. 27. 23 Hines, “We Consolidated...,” p. 28. 24 Lawson, Uncommon Schools..., p. 80-81. According to school district Superintendant Clarence Hines, “...the districts’ policy since 1945 has been not to seek consolidation with smaller districts, but to cooperate if a smaller district wants to consolidate.” “Coburg Talks Consolidation With Eugene,” Eugene Register Guard, September 24, 1957.
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Regardless, between 1945 and 1965, nearly twenty smaller school districts merged with Eugene District 4.25 In March of 1945, “...a consolidation election resulted in the merger of Eugene with Dunn, Stella Magladry, River Road, Santa Clara, Willagillespie, and Gardenway [schools].”26 Other districts followed, and as a result the need for additional school facilities became critical for Eugene’s District 4. Efforts to remedy the situation began in earnest. “Plans for [the establishment of a] new junior high school were started immediately, and within two months of the [March 1945] consolidation election an architect had been employed and a $300,000 serial levy had been passed.”27 Construction on Colin Kelly Junior High, located in the River Road area at Howard and Park Streets, began in November of 1945 but was slowed by wartime materials shortages, and the building was not occupied until January of 1947.28 Perhaps more important than the relief it brought to the crowded sub-urban schools, Colin Kelly Junior High was the first new school building in Eugene in twenty years, and was the fore-runner of much new construction in the district.29 Further,
...the facilities provided at Colin Kelly...were, in a sense, the matrix in which certain aspects of Eugene’s junior high school program of the future were to be formed. The well appointed cafeteria, adequate library facilities, ample playground space, attractive classrooms, and two separate gymnasiums were all to have their influence on future buildings in Eugene and on the type of activities to be provided in those buildings.30 The added space provided by the new building was a welcome reprieve, but brief, as the area’s growth trend continued, seemingly unabated. “The [space] problem...stems from the rapid growth of the past few years, the anticipated growth of the next five to seven years and the fact that for the 20 years between 1925 and 1945 Eugene enjoyed a school building holiday in that no new construction was undertaken.”31 In addition to the ever- increasing number of students, existing schools were strained by continuing district consolidation and difficulty in constructing new facilities due to “the scarcity and high cost of building materials” both during and immediately after the war.32 While pre-war growth was challenging, the post-war Baby Boom was unprecedented and demanded the construction of new schools throughout the country. Eugene was no exception, particularly given the 1930s population surge and the effects of consolidation. The 1947 Eugene City Directory stated that “Consolidations of smaller districts which once could boast only a ‘little red schoolhouse,’ has [sic] given Lane County one of the
25 Lawson, Uncommon Schools..., p. 81-82. 26 Juilfs, “A History of Junior High Schools...,” p. 147. 27 Juilfs, “A History of Junior High Schools...,” p. 147. 28 Colin Kelly Junior High was named in honor of World War II pilot Colin P. Kelly Jr., “...a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot who was killed in the early fighting in the Philippines.” Juilfs, “A History of Junior High Schools...,” p. 148. 29 Juilfs, “A History of Junior High Schools...,” p. 149. 30 Juilfs, “A History of Junior High Schools...,” p. 149. 31 “Report Gives Facts, Figures On Eugene’s School System,” Eugene Register Guard, February 6, 1948. 32 “Eugene’s School Consolidation Program Explained in Journal,” Eugene Register Guard, December 27, 1947.
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best equipped public school systems in Oregon. Many union high school districts have been formed and extensive building programs are planned for the Eugene system.”33 The Directory also noted that Eugene had at that time twelve public schools with a total enrollment of over 8,000 students, and that a new high school was planned for the near future.34 In December of 1949, the Eugene Register Guard reported that “Financed by special election approval of a $2,500,000 bond issue and a five-year levy of $250,000 annually, the construction program is being carried out to correct overcrowded conditions in the city’s present schools and to provide for anticipated trebling of the Eugene pupil enrollment in the next decade.”35 In 1949 alone, the Eugene School District added four elementary schools and a replacement for the 1924 Roosevelt Junior High.36 Statistics for the growth of educational infrastructure in Eugene in the seven-year span between 1946 and 1953 are impressive. Construction included six new elementary schools, two new junior high schools, and one high school; nine additions to existing elementary schools and one junior high school; acquisition of ten new school sites and expansion of six sites for a total increase of more than 140 acres; the remodel of the old Washington school for use as the administration building; and 105 new elementary classrooms, “...81 secondary classrooms, with the multi-purpose rooms, gymnasiums, toilets, health units, offices and heating plants to serve them...”.37 The Eugene School District 4 superintendent during this crucial time was Clarence Hines, who had become assistant superintendent in 1944 following the departure of Henry Gunn. Hines’ two years as assistant (1944–1946) were followed by twelve years as superintendent, from 1946 to 1958.38 During his tenure as one of the community’s most prominent public officials, fifteen new schools were built and numerous additions made, all of which served the growing tide of new students.39 In the decade between 1950 and 1960 the District had almost 14,000 students enrolled in elementary, middle and high schools, and construction of additional new schools was imperative. These fast growth years also saw seemingly continuous additions to both older and newer schools to meet the ever-increasing demand for space. In this decade six elementary schools, two junior high schools and one high school were built, and with
33 Salisbury’s Eugene...Directory (1947), p. 7. 34 Salisbury’s Eugene...Directory (1947), p. 8. 35 “School Board Studies District Building Plans,” Eugene Register Guard, December 16, 1948. 36 The elementary schools included Adams, at 1050 W. 22nd Avenue; Harris (now Camas Ridge) at 1150 E. 29th Avenue; Howard at 700 Howard Avenue; and Westmoreland at 2285 W. 18th Avenue. 37 Eugene School District 4, Annual Report Eugene Public Schools, Building for the Education of Children (Eugene, Oregon: School District No. 4, 1953), p. 2. 38 “The Growth Years: Eugene schools’ postwar boom,” Eugene Register Guard, March 28, 1997; “District 4/4J School Superintendent History,” Eugene (Lane County) School District 4J web page,
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consolidation, new construction and renovated schools, District No. 4 grew from ten schools in 1945 to thirty-two schools by 1960.40 By the time Hines left his post in 1958 to become a University of Oregon faculty member in the School of Education, a progressive pedagogical approach known as the “Eugene Project” was in its infancy, and development of a revised curriculum and a new round of construction were undertaken under Hines’ successor, Millard Pond.41 At the national level, the decade of the 1960s ushered in new educational concepts and curriculum innovations, and this movement helped fuel changes to District 4’s traditional approach to education. The push for change and advancement was based on President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s encouragement of new energy and imagination in schools, with national attention focused on math and science programs and getting ahead in the space race following the launch of Russia’s Sputnik in 1957. Locally, this effort manifested in the Eugene Project, which promoted the open classroom, team teaching, and the use of radio and television as teaching tools. The project apparently had its roots in the social living program of the late 1930s and early 1940s in Eugene, which departed from the traditional departmentalized reading, writing and arithmetic, and combined studies in history, geography, civics, science, and language arts to encourage more comprehensive learning.42 The Eugene Project’s educational shifts, which at the secondary school level included team teaching, group instruction, expansion and strengthening of foreign language and advanced placement courses, and “appraisal of school buildings and their design” among other goals, gained national attention as Roosevelt Middle School took on the programs fully.43 “The innovations at that school were so lauded that educators and administrators from all over the nation came to Roosevelt to observe and learn.”44 As part of the Eugene Project, teachers and principals aided architects in designing schools to meet the new educational objectives, with the goal of including rooms for large and small group instruction, sliding walls and connecting doors for team teaching, laboratory facilities, media centers, and additional workspace for teachers. Involving teachers and staff in the design process continued a Eugene trend of cooperation to ensure that “...new building features and renovations of existing facilities...be correlated with instructional and administrative innovations. All new buildings will be flexible and adaptive in design.” 45 At Roosevelt Junior High, additions and modifications influenced by the social living and later the Eugene Project objectives were undertaken in 1968 and
40 Lawson, Uncommon Schools..., p. 87-89. 41 “The Growth Years...,” Eugene Register Guard, March 28, 1997. 42 Mildred Hayden Williams, “A Study of the Social Living Program in the Public Schools of Eugene, Oregon,” Doctoral Thesis (Eugene, Oregon: University of Oregon School of Education, June 1954), p. 50. 43 Debra Gwartney, “Uncommon Schools,” in Eugene 1945-2000: Decisions That Made a Community ed. Kathleen Holt and Cheri Brooks. (Eugene, Oregon: The City Club of Eugene, 2000), p. 278; Eugene School District No. 4, “The Eugene Education Project: A Report to the Community,” (Eugene, Oregon: School District No. 4, October 1, 1961), pp. 18-19. 44 Gwartney, “Uncommon Schools,” (2000), p. 278. 45 File entitled “Eugene Project: Comprehensive Statement,” Box 5 of Eugene Project Records 1959-1972, in University of Oregon Special Collections Bx 163, quoted in Morgan Albertson and Hayli Ballentine, “Flexible Space, Supple Minds: Mid-20th Century Modern Schools in Eugene, Oregon 1945-1968.” (Unpublished research paper for University of Oregon, AAAP 511: Introduction to Historic Preservation, Fall 2015), p. 13.
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included a team teaching facility, expansion of the homemaking classroom and expansions of electronics and drafting shop spaces.
Mid-twentieth Century Educational Architecture and Its Architects Mid-twentieth century pedagogy and school design were closely interrelated, with the architecture of new schools embodying new thinking about optimal learning environments. Overall, designs and layouts departed from the compact and “homely” schools of earlier years and adopted “easy styling” and functionality focused on creating a healthy and constructive space.46
The massing of buildings constructed during this period was decentralized to convey the impression of openness that corresponded with new philosophies on instructional methods. The horizontal massing was accentuated through bands of windows and flat roof or dramatically contrasted with double height gymnasium and auditorium spaces. This sprawling horizontal plan was utilized for countless public school buildings constructed during the late twentieth century. The use of low pitched gable roofs with broad eaves was a regional adaptation for the climate that differentiated many of the schools in the Northwest Regional Style from other school buildings around the country that also took inspiration from the International Style.47 All of the new mid-twentieth century Eugene schools were architect-designed. The acclaimed Portland firm of Wolff and Phillips designed Roosevelt Junior High, which had later updates by Wolff & Zimmer, Hamlin & Martin, William W. Wilson, and The Balzhiser Group. Other firms consistently active specifically in Eugene school design during this period included John L. Reynolds, Graham B. Smith, Lutes & Amundson, and others. All members of the first three firms involved in the design of Roosevelt were University of Oregon graduates. George Melville Wolff and Truman E. Phillips began their collaboration in 1941.48 Born in Portland, Phillips was a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Architecture and obtained his license to practice in 1929. He practiced in Eugene for over a quarter of a century, starting out as a partner with John Hunzicker and Graham Smith in the firm of Hunzicker, Smith & Phillips. George Wolff was also Portland-born, and entered the University of Oregon School of Architecture following service in the Navy during World War I. He was a partner with Earl G. Cash (Cash & Wolff) until 1941 when he joined with Truman Phillips, a partnership that would endure until 1952. In part resulting from George Wolff’s friendship with Edgar Kaiser (son of industrialist Henry J. Kaiser), Wolff & Phillips made significant contributions to the World War II effort with their designs for Kaiser, which included housing for workers at
46 Eugene School District 4, Annual Report Eugene Public Schools, Building for the Education of Children (Eugene, Oregon: School District No. 4, 1951), p. 59. 47 Entrix, Inc., “Portland Public Schools: Historic Building Assessment,” (Portland, Oregon: Portland Public Schools, October 2009), pp. 3-19. 48 Unless otherwise noted, all information on the firms of Wolff & Phillips and Wolff & Zimmer are from Richard Ellison Ritz, Architects of Oregon, A Biographical Dictionary of Architects Deceased - 19th and 20th Centuries (Portland, Oregon: Lair Hill Publishing, 2002).
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Bonneville Dam and the layouts of Kaiser’s Oregon, Vancouver and Swan Island Shipyards. They were also responsible for the design of Vanport City in north Portland, a temporary community created to house up to 40,000 shipyard workers, which was designed and constructed in 200 days.49 After the war they worked for the Kaiser Hospitals in Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.50 Although he had no formal training, Norman Cunningham Zimmer was hired as a draftsman for Wolff & Phillips in 1946, and was promoted to chief draftsman in 1950. He studied architecture at night as well as attending art school, and obtained his license to practice architecture in 1952. He was made partner that year following Phillips’ retirement, and the firm became known as Wolff & Zimmer.51 The firm of Hamlin and Martin was officially formed in 1953.52 Clare K. Hamlin was born in 1909 in Coos County and moved to Eugene at the age of two.53 “Hamlin graduated from the University of Oregon in 1936 with a degree in architecture. He worked as an architect for the Army Corps of Engineers from 1943 to 1946, then was self-employed. He was a partner in Hamlin Martin from 1953 to 1957 and in Martin, Schulyz [sic] and Geyer from 1967 until his retirement in 1974.”54 Beverly King Martin was born in Portland in 1921, and served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II, receiving a Distinguished Flying Cross. Following the war, he received his architecture degree from the University of Oregon in 1946. Martin joined Hamlin as a draftsman in 1947, was made a partner in the firm in 1953. B. King Martin retired in 1981, and died in 2011.55 Hamlin Martin was responsible for a number of Eugene’s mid-twentieth century schools as well as the former Eugene Public Library, Grace Lutheran Church, and the Wesley Center.56 William W. Wilson was also born in Portland in 1921, and received degrees from Reed College and MIT before engaging in graduate studies in Architecture at the University of Oregon between 1956 and 1960.57 Starting in 1967 he was an associate in his firm William W. Wilson & Associates, Architects and Engineers, later Wilson, Taylor & Danielson. Wilson lived in various West Coast locations before settling in Eugene, where he lived for forty years before retiring in Blue River.58
49 Ritz, Architects of Oregon..., p. 438; Manley Maben, Vanport (Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press, 1987), p. 7. 50 Ritz, Architects of Oregon..., p. 316. 51 Ritz, Architects of Oregon..., p. 452. Norman Zimmer was a founding partner of the present-day firm of Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects (ZGF), based in Portland. 52 The American Institute of Architects reports that the firm Hamlin Martin (or Hamlin and Martin) was established in 1953. Martin’s obituary, however, states that the partnership was formed as early as 1948. American Institute of Architects, The AIA Historical Directory of American Architects ed. George S. Koyl (New York: R.R. Bowker Company, 1955), p. 367. 53 “Planning Vet to Retire,” Eugene Register Guard, December 16, 1970. 54 “Clare Hamlin,” Obituary, Eugene Register Guard, May 19, 1994. 55 Biographical information for Beverly King Martin taken from his obituary, “B. King Martin,” Eugene Register Guard, July 7, 2011 as posted on Findagrave.com. Accessed December 2015. 56 “Hamlin & Martin, Architects,” Building Oregon website,
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These architects and others were charged with designing schools for an unprecedented number of incoming students at a time when architectural and instructional norms were changing drastically. The question of “...how to provide adequate school facilities...for the...burgeoning population...” was in part answered by a shift in school building design.59 Architecturally, school buildings evolved from their original one room (in Oregon, often log buildings) to multi-room configurations of one or two story frame buildings. By the 1920s, education was expanding to include science and industrial arts, and school buildings were being designed to accommodate a multitude of needs beyond the teaching of traditional reading, writing and arithmetic. The Eugene Daily Guard described the Wilson and Roosevelt Junior High Schools as having facilities “...for manual training, mechanical drawing, sewing, cooking, general science, a library for at least 70, a lunch room near a kitchen, and a combined auditorium and gymnasium with a seating capacity of 900...”60 The inclusion of these specialized spaces carried forward into mid-twentieth century designs, which moved away from the compact buildings of earlier years and toward single-story, spread-out buildings built on large parcels of land using a combination of modern materials.
A single-story school building, combining vitally needed lower construction costs, ease of expansion for growing communities, a high safety factor because of ease of egress, extreme flexibility which made it adaptable to any size or shape plot, and best of all, because it fit readily into the architectural plans of neighborhoods, was the answer to the West’s school needs.61 According to architect Truman Phillips, comfort and functionality were important aspects of their designs.
We like what we have been able to create in student and teacher comfort... By full use of exposed walls in windows and the adoption of clerestory lighting in room interiors, we have greatly helped with student vision which has such a marked effect on student efficiency. By careful treatment of color in room decoration and design, we have come close to duplicating home atmosphere in the classroom.62 In addition, the use of acoustical tile ceilings for reduction of room noise, zoned heating, use of wood paneling in rooms, as well as the extensive use of cabinets, built-ins and storage facilities further created what architects believed was a better learning and teaching environment than that of the older buildings.63 Faculty and staff were involved in the design of many of the buildings and additions, furnishing the architect with “...necessary information about the educational program to be housed in the building. As the planning proceeds, teachers and administrators who will work in the building...work
59 Priaulx, “Single Story School Building Has Solved a Vexing Problem,” (October 1950), p. 14. 60 “School Board Authorizes Drawing Plans for Both Junior Highs; 36 Rooms,” Eugene Daily Guard, March 18, 1924, p. 1. 61 Priaulx, “Single Story School...” (1950), p. 14. 62 Priaulx, “Single Story School...”(1950), p. 16. 63 Priaulx, “Single Story School...”(1950), p. 18.
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with the architect to insure that the facilities provided will be usable and practical from an instructional standpoint.” 64 In Eugene District 4, Superintendent Clarence Hines worked in cooperation with architect Clare Hamlin to devise the “growth school” design. “The plan consists of a core facility around which classrooms are added later as needed, at a considerable savings in money.”65 While newspaper accounts suggest this may have been initially applied to elementary schools constructed from the 1950s onward, the innovation had evidently been in some use since the late 1940s, and was clearly also applied to the junior high buildings, including the new Roosevelt School. Through the 1950s and 1960s building activity continued apace but the community kept the school district on a tight budget. Following architectural and construction trends across the country, buildings were put up as quickly and as inexpensively as possible, making use of new, economical, mass-produced materials, with the chief concern being providing enough quality space for students. Securing satisfactory sites for new schools could take up to a year, preparing plans required six to eighteen months depending on the size of the project, and construction of the building could take an equal amount of time.66 Contracts were awarded to the “lowest responsible bidder,” creating a highly competitive climate for those in the building trades. The District acknowledged that construction could be a slow process, but assured the public that “the district receives greater value in the long run if the contractor is permitted enough time to do good work.”67 Despite the relatively quick procurement of school funding and subsequent construction of these modern, state-of-the-art buildings, the new schools also received criticism. Complaints arose about the rambling, single-story designs, the open breezeways exposed to inclement weather, and flat roofs that were not well-suited to the wet western Oregon climate and tended to leak.68 Concerns were heightened following the October 12, 1962 Columbus Day storm and the damage it wrought on a number of local school buildings. An extensive post-storm investigation linked the low construction costs to less-than- sturdy buildings, and local architects voiced reservations about the low budgets, the speed with which the schools were constructed, and the lack of vigorous inspections. Amongst the concerns that schools were not being built to last, at least one source suggested that the buildings were actually meant to have a relatively short lifespan. “By and large, the modern, single-story building is being designed to last from 30 to 35 years, as contrasted with the older structures intended to last 50 years. The shorter-lived building is warranted from the standpoint of sound economics on the basis of lower original cost.”69 Locally, this line of thinking was echoed by reports in the Register Guard and local architects in the weeks following the Columbus Day storm.
64 Eugene School District 4, Annual Report of Eugene Public Schools (1953), p. 9. 65 “Eugene Architect Praised for ‘Growth School’ Design,” Eugene Register Guard, May 20, 1953. 66 Eugene School District 4, Annual Report... (1953), pp. 5-15. 67 Eugene School District 4, Annual Report... (1953), p. 15. 68 Pinyerd and Wright, Eugene Modernism, p. 8.3. 69 Priaulx, “Single Story School...”(1950), p. 20.
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In essence what they [the architects] said was, ‘Don’t build them to last too long.’ To explain: With Oregon’s population still relatively mobile and populations shifting rapidly, a district that builds a building for 50 years may find itself at the end of 25 years with a school and no kids to attend it. [...] Don Lutes, of the Springfield firm of Lutes & Amundsen, raised another point. With instructional methods changing rapidly, a building built today might be educationally obsolete 20 years from now, he said.70 Amidst debates about these issues, the one design feature universally appreciated was that the schools were designed to readily accommodate additions, which occurred with some frequency, allowing schools to be quickly and economically adapted to expanding student populations. In Eugene, the new, expandable design approach that was first applied on Colin Kelly Junior High was also employed at Roosevelt Junior High.
Theodore Roosevelt Junior High (Middle) School (Figures 68–95) The subject building is the second Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School in Eugene. The first Roosevelt School, constructed in 1924 at East 18th Avenue and Agate Street, was designed by Portland architect F. Manson White.71 As enrollment increased throughout the district at all levels during the 1930s and 1940s, it became clear that after twenty-five years of service, the old building would need to be replaced with a larger school. Serving the population in the southeastern quadrant of Eugene, the second Roosevelt Junior High School, now Roosevelt Middle School, is sited at the southwest corner of E. 24th Avenue and Hilyard Street. At the turn of the twentieth century, the land on which the school sits was owned by Frank L. and Edith Chambers, who in 1909 platted the Driverton Addition, which encompassed the area between Alder and Mill Streets (east and west, respectively) and E. 18th and E. 25th Avenues (north and south, respectively) (Figures 2, 61 and 62). The southernmost portion of the addition (blocks 36–45) was vacated to the City of Eugene and Lane County in 1916, and it appears the area remained largely undeveloped into the 1930s and 1940. This was likely due to the seasonal flooding of nearby Amazon Creek, which flows in a northerly direction just west of the school property (Figures 3 and 64).72 In June of 1947, the City Council “...agreed to sell 37 lots in Driverton Addition (bordering Patterson St. and Twenty-fourth Ave.) to School District 4 in exchange for school-owned land at Tenth Ave. and Grant St. Sale price of the city property was $6850.”73 The parcel eventually grew to encompass fifteen acres, and included the 1949 purchase of land that included Dr. W.M. Swangard’s Eugene Small Animal Clinic at 2436 Hilyard Street. The veterinary clinic had been built nine
70 “Cost Key Item in School Construction,” Eugene Register Guard (November 4, 1962), p. 9A. 71 Both the Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt Junior High Schools were designed by F. Manson White and constructed in 1924. Melissa Darby, “Woodrow Wilson Junior High School,” National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. (Washington, D.C.: National Register of Historic Places, 1990), p. 7:1. 72 Drainage improvements to Amazon Creek made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers starting in the early 1950s made previous flood-prone zones more appealing for construction. 73 “Street Renaming Study Continues/Rebuys Land,” Eugene Register Guard, June 10, 1947, p. 9.
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years before, and Swangard noted that at the time his building was constructed “We were ‘way outside the city and now we’re in the center of a growing residential district.”74 In December of 1948, the School Board,
...instructed Architects Wolff and Phillips, designers of the Colin Kelly Junior High, to proceed with working plans for a new junior high to replace the present Roosevelt School. [...] The school board expects to advertise for bids on the new Roosevelt building in May. The structure will go up on a 10-acre site at 24th and Hilyard which the school district has already purchased. In connection with this plan, the board Monday night also authorized presentation of petitions to the city council asking closure of streets and alleys south of 24th Ave. on the junior high site.75 Wolff and Phillips were responsible for the design of a number of mid-twentieth century schools in the Pacific Northwest, and their philosophy was to “...first create the perfect classroom, then build your school around it.”76 Their approach to the creation of a new Roosevelt Junior High drew from the work of many other practicing architects in the Northwest whose planning and design principles corresponded with changes in educational philosophies of the day, bringing an understanding of how new forms, materials and technology might transform educational buildings.77 The projected cost of the new Roosevelt school, based on its size and the cost of comparable buildings, was approximately $540,000, and in April of 1949 bids were solicited.78 The district received several proposals from firms in Portland and Eugene, and awarded the contract to Portland’s Waale-Camplan Company.79 Originally designed to accommodate 600 students, the new school was already in need of additional classroom space before it was complete.80 As early as February of 1950 bids were reviewed for the construction of two additional classrooms at the school to be built onto the west wing near the boys’ gymnasium; H.L. Shields and Son of Eugene eventually won the contract in March of 1950.81 “The additional classrooms were deemed necessary by school officials when it became apparent that a southern shift in school population would not necessitate building two more rooms at Colin Kelly Junior High School, as planned. The rooms were shifted to the new school, instead. The entire school will be ready for occupancy by fall” (Figures 69–70).82 By July of 1950, following final inspections on July 5, the school building was virtually finished, and the Register Guard announced that,
74 “School to Move Animal Hospital,” Eugene Register Guard, April 7, 1949. 75 “School Board Studies District Building Plans,” Eugene Register Guard, December 16, 1948. 76 Albert Priaulx, “Catlin Grade School, Kelso, Washington: Design an Ideal Classroom Then Build a School Around It,” Architect and Engineer Vol. 176, No. 1 (January 1949), p. 9. 77 Entrix, Inc., “Portland Public Schools...,” pp. 3-19. 78 “Concerns Make School Bids,” Eugene Register Guard, April 12, 1949. 79 Ibid; “Final Payment on New School Considered By Eugene Board,” Eugene Register Guard, April 6, 1951. 80 “New Junior High Would Relieve Crowded Roosevelt Classrooms,” Eugene Register Guard, June 15, 1952. 81 “City School Board Rejects Three Bids,” Eugene Register Guard, February 16, 1950; “Eugene Contractor Wins Bid for School Addition,” Eugene Register Guard, March 14, 1950. 82 “Eugene Contractor Wins Bid for School Addition,” Eugene Register Guard, March 14, 1950.
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Eugene’s new Roosevelt Junior High School was officially accepted by the local school board at its meeting Monday night, subject to completion of final items and minor adjustments. Built by Waale-Camplan Co., Portland, at a bid of $503,000, and designed by Wolff and Phillips, Portland, the modern structure houses 16 classrooms, boys gym, girls [g]ym and auditorium, multi-purpose room and lunchroom, library, offices, teachers rooms, health room, heating plant, and homemaking room. H.L. Shields and Son, Eugene, is finishing construction of two additional classrooms at the school, which were deemed necessary, because of a shift in school population, before the building was completed. Shields’ contract was $23,973.83
The school opened that September to 551 students and nineteen teachers. “The teachers were: Mr. Ackerman, Mrs. Dart, Miss Groves, Miss Hughes, Mr. Erickson, Miss Lettow, Mr. Mullaley, Miss Mattley, Mr. Nelson, Miss Nimmo, Mrs. Pitman, and Mr. Robert Johnson.”84 Only two months later, in November of 1950, Wolff and Phillips submitted designs for three more classrooms to be added to the new building (in what is now called D Hall), as part of a broader plan to add fifteen classrooms to district schools.85 That contract work was awarded to Arnt Ree and Son of Eugene for their bid of $31,495.86 According to the District, “The last phase of the building program for a new school is the development of the school site and playground area. Inadequate or limited funds usually result in site improvement being left to be done after the building is in use. [...] Secondary schools require the development of extensive playfields for physical education classes.”87 Mid-twentieth century schools in Eugene were designed for joint school-park use, a trend that began in the late 1940s. Although the joint use agreements were initially informal, in later years the City and School District developed “...a policy of joint park- school development whenever possible.”88 Developed over a period of years, the playfields at Roosevelt were located to the west and south of the building, merging with the open spaces of Amazon Park (which was dedicated in 1955) to the south.89 According to the original plans, the area close in behind the building to the south was intended to be paved with blacktop, as it remains today. Only two years after opening there were nearly 700 students enrolled at Roosevelt (100 more than the designed-for maximum); within five years the junior high population was projected to be twice that number.90 According to a 1952 Register Guard article, “Next year at least 723 will sign up, and by 1955–56 there will be at least 880 if the new junior high is not built. [...] Already, it is necessary to transform both the Roosevelt library and
83 “Roosevelt Building Up For Inspection,” June 29, 1950; “City School Board Accepts New Junior High School,” July 25, 1950. 84 “This is Roosevelt,” in “Rough Rider, Volume MCMLCII, No. 1,” (Eugene, Oregon: Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School, September 27, 1957), p. 4. 85 “Firm Signed For Sketches,” Eugene Register Guard, November 29, 1950. 86 “Ree Awarded School Contract,” Eugene Register Guard, January 9, 1951. 87 Eugene School District 4, Annual Report (1953), p. 18. 88 “School Board, Council Study Plan for Park Facilities,” Eugene Register Guard, August 1, 1961. 89 Bruce Steinmetz, “A History of City of Eugene Recreation,” (City of Eugene, 2015), p. 46. 90 “New Junior High Would Relieve Crowded Roosevelt Classrooms,” Eugene Register Guard, June 15, 1952.
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cafeteria into classrooms to hold the overflow” (Figure 83).91 In an effort to stay ahead of the wave of students, classroom space was added yet again in 1954 when George M. Wolff designed nearly 5,000 square feet of additional space, including expansion of the homemaking room, and the addition of a shop and two more classrooms (Figure 76).92 Over 10,000 square feet (mostly classrooms) were added to the original 46,000-square- foot building between 1951 and 1955 (Figure 11; Appendices B–D). By 1955 the school housed 750 students–twice the Roosevelt school enrollment of ten years earlier–in accommodations that included seventeen classrooms; a boys’ gymnasium; girls’ gymnasium and auditorium; cafeteria and kitchen; rooms for music, homemaking and industrial arts; a library; and health, administrative, and conference rooms.93 The school newspaper reported in 1956 that,
Roosevelt is no longer a school in which each student can know all the students. It is growing by leaps and bounds, and has outgrown by far its planned capacity of five hundred students. The total student body now numbers seven hundred and thirty-five students. [...] The faculty has increased to thirty-two in number, with five new teachers being added this year. Yes, Roosevelt is crowded, and it is necessary for all students to think of others so that the student body can move about the building efficiently. It is hoped that the crowded situation will be relieved with the construction of the Thomas Jefferson Junior High School.94 Modifications and additions continued to be made at Roosevelt through 1957 at which time Thomas Jefferson Junior High (now known as the Arts and Technology Academy) was built in west Eugene, easing much of the pressure on Roosevelt.95 The Eugene district was on the cutting edge of secondary school development, and Roosevelt Junior High was called out in 1958 by the State Department of Education as “one of the best in the state.”96 In a State report on the school, John S. Conway, superintendent of secondary education stated that “Generally speaking, the plant is one of the best for junior high school use in the State, with large, attractive classrooms, adequate storage space, and good equipment.”97 High student enrollment numbers persisted, and the school continued to expand in the 1960s with two building episodes resulting in the addition of over 27,000 square feet. Repairs were needed following severe storm damage in 1962. On Columbus Day of that year, October 12th, a major storm wreaked havoc throughout the area, and five Eugene district schools suffered major damage, including Roosevelt, which lost the center roof
91 “New Junior High...,” Eugene Register Guard, June 15, 1952. 92 “Eugene Board Plans 20 New Classrooms at Existing Schools,” Eugene Register Guard, January 12, 1954. 93 Juilfs, “A History of Junior High Schools...,” 151. 94 “Our Growing School,” from “Rough Rider, Volume III, Number 3,” (Eugene, Oregon: Theodore Roosevelt Junior HIgh School, October 15, 1956), p. 3. 95 Located at 1650 W. 22nd Avenue, Jefferson Junior High (Middle) School was designed by Hamlin and Martin using a design framework similar to that employed at Roosevelt: a single story, horizontally-spreading school laid out in a campus-like plan that could be expanded easily, as needed. 96 Eugene District 4, “History of the Eugene Public Schools: 1959 Annual Report,” (1959), p. 98. 97 Eugene District 4, “History of the Eugene Public Schools (1959), p. 99.
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section.98 An eye-witness stated that he was “...shocked to see the whole mid-section of the school roof lift off and sail through the air–like one great oversized parachute... The whole thing was like a movie scene where papier-mache houses are made to fly before the wind.”99 Post-storm investigations determined that although all inspections were passed, the roof had been inadequately nailed. The damage to this and other school buildings resulted in apparently vigorous public discussion about the process by which new schools came to be designed and built.100 The expansion projects of 1965 and 1968 added classrooms in B, D and E Halls and a small third gymnasium/band room to the west side of the existing boys gym (Appendices F–G). Both were substantial additions that reflected many of the Eugene Project’s educational goals and philosophies relating to relevant subjects (especially science) and group learning. Both also continued to follow the aesthetic lead set in the original 1949 design in terms of scale, form, and materials. After the 1968 expansion, small changes were made to the building, but no major additions or alterations occurred until a 1985 fire caused extensive damage (Figures 92– 94). The needed repairs resulted in changes to the front elevation of the building, and while the work showed some acknowledgement of the original International Style characteristics, the appearance of the main facade was forever altered (Appendix H).
* * * One of two junior high schools in the district at the time of its construction, Roosevelt is now one of eight middle schools in the Eugene District 4J. Originally designed to accommodate a maximum of 500 students, over the decades Roosevelt’s enrollment, which draws from the southern region of Eugene, has ranged from 550 to over 800. As noted on the new school’s website,
The existing Roosevelt Middle School was constructed in 1950 and has been an educational home and center for generations of young Eugene residents. Constructed of wood and brick along the edge of the beautiful Amazon Creek corridor it currently houses about 600 middle school students but at times past it has had over 800 students within its walls. All its systems including energy management, technology and security are out-dated and declining.101 In the first twenty years of its existence, Roosevelt Junior High was successfully and compatibly expanded numerous times to accommodate the population growth of those years. The spread-out, single story arrangement was at the leading edge of modern school design, and it was meant to readily accommodate additions as needed. Generations of enthusiastic students passed through its doors to study everything from music to
98 “Most Schools Expect To Be Open Monday,” Eugene Register Guard, October 14, 1962. 99 Quote of resident John Hummer in “Storm Uncovers School Construction Faults,” Eugene Register Guard, November 1, 1962. 100 “Process of Building Schools Complicated, Open to Error,” Eugene Register Guard, November 2, 1962. 101 Eugene School District 4J, “Roosevelt Middle School: Project Information,”
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marquetry, computer programming to criminology, as well as the basic reading, writing and arithmetic. As a representative of the educational and aesthetic ideals of a community, the school was recognized for both its architectural merits and later for the innovative pedagogical methods practiced within.
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SOURCES CONSULTED
Albertson, Morgan and Hayli Ballentine. “Flexible Space, Supple Minds: Mid-20th Century Modern Schools in Eugene, Oregon 1945–1968.” Unpublished research paper prepared for AAAP 511: Introduction to Historic Preservation, Fall 2015. On file with authors.
American Institute of Architects. The AIA Historical Directory of American Architects ed. George S. Koyl New York: R.R. Bowker Company, 1955.
-----. The AIA Historical Directory of American Architects ed. George S. Koyl New York: R.R. Bowker Company, 1962.
-----. The AIA Historical Directory of American Architects, ed. John F. Gane. New York: R.R. Bowker Company, 1970.
Carter, Liz and Michelle Dennis. Eugene Area Historic Context Statement. Eugene, Oregon: City of Eugene Planning and Development Department, 1996.
Darby, Melissa. “Woodrow Wilson Junior High School,” National Register Nomination Form. Washington, D.C.: Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, 1990.
Entrix, Inc. Portland Public Schools Historic Building Assessment. Portland, Oregon: Portland Public Schools, October 2009.
Eugene City Directories Polk’s Eugene City and Lane County Directory. Portland, Oregon: R.L. Polk & Co., 1914. Polk’s Eugene City and Lane County Directory. Portland, Oregon: R.L. Polk & Co., 1918. Polk’s Eugene City and Lane County Directory. Portland, Oregon: R.L. Polk & Co., 1921. Salisbury’s Eugene and Springfield (Lane County, Oregon) City Directory. Eugene, Oregon: T.W. Salisbury & Co., Publishers, 1947. Johnson’s Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Directory. Eugene, Oregon: Johnson Publishing Company, 1960.
Eugene Daily Guard Newspaper. Eugene, Oregon. “School Board Authorizes Drawing Plans for Both Junior Highs; 36 Rooms,” March 18, 1924, p. 1.
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Eugene Register Guard Newspaper. Eugene, Oregon. “Street Renaming Study Continues/Rebuys Land,” June 10, 1947. “Eugene’s School Consolidation Program Explained in Journal.” December 27, 1947. “Report Gives Facts, Figures on Eugene’s School System.” February 6, 1948. “School System’s Fame Spreads to Remote South Wales.” July 13, 1948. “Eugene Has Most Underground Schools Rooms in the State.” October 17, 1948. “School Board Studies District Building Plans.” December 16, 1948. “School to Move Animal Hospital.” April 7, 1949. “Concerns Make School Bids.” April 12, 1949. “1949 Busiest Year Yet for Eugene Public Schools.” January 4, 1950. “City School Board Rejects Three Bids.” February 16, 1950. “Eugene Contractor Wins Bid for School Addition.” March 14, 1950. “Roosevelt Building Up For Inspection.” June 29, 1950. “City School Board Accepts New Junior High School.” July 25, 1950. “Firm Signed For Sketches.” November 29, 1950. “Ree Awarded School Contract.” January 9, 1951. “Final Payment on New School Considered by Eugene Board.” April 6, 1951. “New Junior High Would Relieve Crowded Roosevelt Classrooms.” June 15, 1952. “Eugene Architect Praised For ‘Growth School’ Design.” May 20, 1953. “Eugene Board Plans 20 New Classrooms at Existing Schools.” January 12, 1954. “Eugene Board Hires Architect for Addition.” May 25, 1954. “School Enrollment Up.” September 14, 1954. “Architects to Draw 20 New Classrooms.” January 25, 1955. “School Election: Immediate Needs Outlined by Hines.” October 18, 1955. “Architects to Design Fourteen Additions to Eugene Schools.” December 10, 1957. “Coburg Talks Consolidation with Eugene.” September 24, 1957. “Schools Expect 21,000 Pupils.” August 6, 1958. “Educator Explains ‘Eugene Project’.” January 11, 1961. “School Board, Council Study Plan for Park Facilities.” August 1, 1961. “Most Schools Expect To Be Open Monday.” October 14, 1962. “No Immediate Funds Seen for Eugene Project.” October 19, 1961. “Storm Uncovers School Construction Faults.” November 1, 1962. “Process of Building Schools Complicated, Open to Error.” November 2, 1962. “Cost Key Item in School Construction.” November 4, 1962. (Beeler and Bischoff) “Planning Vet to Retire.” December 16, 1970. “Clare Hamlin,” Obituary. May 19, 1994. “The Growth Years: Eugene schools’ postwar boom.” March 28, 1997. “B. King Martin,” Obituary. July 7, 2011.
Eugene School District 4. Annual Reports Eugene Public Schools. Eugene, Oregon: School District No. 4, Lane County, Oregon.
Annual Report Eugene Public Schools, “Eugene Schools Through The Year.” 1950. Annual Report Eugene Public Schools, “Eugene Schools Now and Then.” 1951. Annual Report Eugene Public Schools, “Building for the Education of Children.” 1953. Annual Report Eugene Public Schools, “We Who Serve Your Schools.” 1954. “History of the Eugene Public Schools: 1959 Annual Report.” 1959. “The Eugene Education Project: A Report to the Community.” 1961.
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Eugene, Oregon School District No. 4. Eugene Project Records, 1959–1972. Eugene, Oregon: University of Oregon Special Collections, Bx 163 (9 boxes).
Eugene (Lane County, Oregon) School District 4J.
District Archives, on file with School District 4J Office. Accessed June 2014.
Eugene School District 4J, Roosevelt Middle School Project Website,
“FindaGrave.com.”
Foellinger, Juanita. School Profiles, 1977. Eugene, Oregon: Eugene School District 4J, November 1977.
Gwartney, Debra. “Uncommon Schools,” in Eugene 1945–2000: Decisions That Made a Community, ed. Kathleen Holt and Cheri Brooks. Eugene, Oregon: The City Club of Eugene, 2000.
Hines, Clarence. “We Consolidated Our Problems,” American School Board Journal, December 1947. Milwaukie, Wisconsin: National School Boards Association, 1947.
Houglum, Roger. “Educational Broadcasting Comes to Lane County,” Lane County Historian Vol. 28 No. 2 (Summer 1983), pp. 33–49.
Juilfs, Erwin J. “A History of Junior High Schools in Oregon, 1914–1957.” Eugene, Oregon: University of Oregon Doctoral Thesis, Department of Education, 1958.
Lane County Historical Society and Museum Historic Photograph Collection.
Lane County, Oregon. “Surveyor’s Images and Documents Online.”
Lawson, Herman. A System of Uncommon Schools: The History of Eugene School District 4J, 1854–1985. Eugene, Oregon: School District 4J Lane County, 1985.
Maben, Manley. Vanport. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press, 1987.
McAlester, Virginia and Lee McAlester. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.
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Mortimore, David E. and Thomas H. Roberts and Donald M. Jackson and Harold Stauffer. “The Emergence and Development of a Radically Innovative Junior HIgh School Program,” Oregon ASCD Curriculum Bulletin, No. 319 XXVII. October 1973.
No Author. “William and Mary Wilson,” Obituary in McKenzie River Reflections. July 25, 2001.
Pinyerd, Dave and Sally Wright. Eugene Modernism 1935–65. Eugene, Oregon: Eugene Planning and Development Department, June 2003.
Priaulx, Albert. “Catlin Grade School, Kelso, Washington: Design an Ideal Classroom Then Build a School Around It,” Architect and Engineer Vol. 176 No. 1 (January 1949). San Francisco: The Architect and Engineer Inc., January 1949, pp. 8–15.
-----. “Single Story School Building Has Solved a Vexing Problem,” Architect and Engineer Vol 183 No. 1 (October 1950). San Francisco: The Architect and Engineer Inc., October 1950, pp. 14–23.
-----. “Growth School, An Answer to Community Expansion,” Architect and Engineer Vol. 193 No. 1 (April 1953), pp. 12–18, 40.
Putnam, Rex and Arnold Granville. A Report on Oregon Schools 1832–1960. Salem, Oregon: Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1960.
Ritz, Richard, Ellison. Architects of Oregon: A Biographical Dictionary of Architects Deceased – 19th and 20th Centuries. Portland, Oregon: Lair Hill Publishing, 2002.
Richardson, Ruth Ellsworth. “First Public School in Eugene, 1856,” Lane County Historian Vol. I No. 3 (December 1956), pp. 1–7.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. Eugene, Oregon. 1925, 1948, 1962 and 1970.
Schafer, Joseph. “An Historical Survey of Public Education in Eugene, Oregon.” The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, Vol. 2, No. 1 (March 1901): pp. 55–77.
Steinmetz, Bruce. “A History of City of Eugene Recreation.” City of Eugene, 2015.
Turner, David G. Images of America: Eugene. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2012.
United States Census Bureau. “Census of Population and Housing.”
University of Oregon. “Oregon Digital: Building Oregon,” University of Oregon Libraries website.
Urquhart, Alvin, W. “Landscape Change in South Eugene, Oregon 19th and 20th Centuries.” San Francisco, California: Blurb, 2010.
Williams, Mildred Hayden. “A Study of the Social Living Program in the Public Schools of Eugene, Oregon.” Eugene, Oregon: University of Oregon School of Education Doctoral Thesis, June 1954.
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Figure 1. USGS topographical map with Roosevelt Middle School indicated.
Figure 2. Lane County tax map. “Vacated Portion of Driverton Addition” is School District 4J/Roosevelt Middle School property.
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Figure 3. Aerial view of Roosevelt Middle School site prior to construction of new school. Courtesy Google.
C Boys’ Gym Band Room B A E
D B Girls’ Gym
Figure 4. Aerial view of Roosevelt Middle School building. Letters indicate Halls A through E. Courtesy Google.
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Figure 5. Front (north) elevation of Roosevelt Middle School from E. 24th Avenue (looking southwest). Courtesy Google.
Figure 6. Northeast corner of Roosevelt Middle School from Hilyard Street (looking southwest). Courtesy Google.
Figure 7. Southeast corner of Roosevelt Middle School from Hilyard Street (looking northwest). Courtesy Google.
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Figure 8. East elevation of Roosevelt Middle School from Hilyard Street (looking southwest). Courtesy Google.
Figure 9. West elevation of Roosevelt Middle School from E. 24th Avenue (looking southeast). Courtesy Google.
Figure 10. West side of Roosevelt Middle School with play fields, view from E. 24th Avenue (looking southeast). Courtesy Google.
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iddle School, current floor plan with various additions and dates indicated.
Figure 11. Roosevelt M
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Figure 12. View of front (north) elevation of school looking west from corner of E. 24th Avenue and Hilyard Street. All current photos courtesy of author.
Figure 13. View of eastern end of front (north) elevation of school looking east/southeast.
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Figure 14. View of western end of front (north) elevation of school looking west/southwest.
Figure 15. View of north (front) elevation, looking east. Boys’ Gymnasium at right.
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Figure 16. View of Boys’ Gymnasium (left) and Gym Addition/Band Room (right), looking east/southeast.
Figure 17. View of west end of Boys’ Gymnasium doorway.
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Figure 18. View of western end of rear (south) elevation of school; 1968 gym addition to left, D Hall wing to right.
Figure 19. View of western end of rear (south) elevation of school; 1968 gym addition to left, D Hall wing to right.
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Figure 20. Paved play area. Figure 21. Paved play area.
Figure 22. Paved play area, view looking west from B Hall doorway.
Figures 23. South side of kitchen. Figure 24. Girls’ Gymnasium and locker room.
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Figure 25. View of east side elevation of Girls’ Gym and Music Room addition.
Figure 26. View of east side elevation of school looking south from corner of E. 24th Avenue and Hilyard Street.
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Figure 27. Courtyard between E Hall (left) and C Figure 28. Courtyard outside A Hall (Science Hall (right). classrooms).
Figure 29. Courtyard between A Hall (Science classrooms) and B Hall.
Figure 30. Doorway from A Hall breezeway into B Hall.
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Figure 31. Front entrance and hall. Figure 32. View of D Hall looking south.
Figure 33. B Hall doorway to paved play area. Figure 34. View of E Hall.
Figure 35. View of C Hall looking east. Figure 36. View of B Hall looking south.
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Figure 37. Typical classroom.
Figures 38. Science classroom in A Hall. Figure 39. Science classroom in A Hall.
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Figure 40. Music Room. Figure 41. Former Group Instruction Room, now used as a theater.
Figure 42. Home Economics Room. Figure 43. Home Economics Room.
Figure 44. Wood Shop. Figure 45. Wood Shop.
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Figure 46. View of Library, looking east.
Figure 47. Library. Figure 48. Reading Room.
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Figure 49. Cafeteria with “stage” area at right of picture.
Figure 50. View of Kitchen Figure 51. View of Kitchen.
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Figure 52. View of Boys’ Gymnasium.
Figure 53. View of Boys’ Gymnasium. Figure 54. View of Boys’ Gymnasium.
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Figure 55. View of Girls’ Gymnasium.
Figure 56. Girls’ Gymnasium, view toward stage.
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Figure 57. Band Room. Figure 58. Band Room.
Figure 59. Bathroom (typical) Figure 60. Girls’ locker room.
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Figure 61. 1909 plat map of Driverton Addition, with site of Roosevelt Junior High School indicated.
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Figure 62. 1916 plat of vacated portion of Driverton Addition, with future location of Roosevelt Junior High School indicated.
Figure 63. Roosevelt Junior High School site (indicated), Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1925.
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E. 24th Avenue
Street
Hilyard Street Hilyard
Willamette
Figure 64. Aerial view of Roosevelt Junior High School site (indicated), 1936. Courtesy University of Oregon Aerial Photography Collection.
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Figure 65. Roosevelt Junior High School, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1948.
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Figure 66. Roosevelt Junior High School, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1962.
Figure 67. Roosevelt Junior High School, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1970.
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Figure 68. View of the first Roosevelt Junior High School. “Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School, later renamed Condon School, 1787 Agate Street, Eugene... View of the front of the building...appears to have been taken shortly after construction of building.” Photo circa 1928. Courtesy Lane County Historical Museum, #KE2864.
Figure 69. Aerial view of Roosevelt Junior High School under construction, 1949. Photo courtesy School District 4J.
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Figure 70. Architects’ rendering of Roosevelt Junior High School. From Architect & Engineer, October 1950.
Figure 71. “Newly constructed Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School, 680 East 24th Avenue, on the southwest corner of 24th Avenue and Hilyard Street... View of long, one-story brick building with gymnasium in background.” Photo circa 1949. Courtesy Lane County Historical Museum, #GN2241.
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Figure 72. Images from the Eugene Register Guard, July 25, 1950.
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Figure 73. First page of 1951 “Rough Rider,” Roosevelt Junior High School yearbook.
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Figure 74. View of facade of Roosevelt Junior High School, from School District 4 Annual Report, 1953.
Figure 75. View of front entrance of Roosevelt Junior High School, from School District 4 Annual Report, 1953.
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Figure 76. Eugene Register Guard article with image of Roosevelt Junior High School shop space under construction. Eugene Register Guard, August 12, 1954.
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Figure 77. Sketch drawing of school floor plan in 1958, prepared for parent open house. “Rough Rider,” November 12, 1958.
Figure 78. View of front facade of Roosevelt Junior High School, from Annual Report 1959.
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Figure 79. Cover photo of 1967 “Rough Rider,” Roosevelt Junior High School yearbook.
Figure 80. View of front facade of Roosevelt Junior High School, from “Rough Rider,” Roosevelt Junior High School Yearbook, 1983.
Figure 81. Panoramic view of front facade of Roosevelt Junior High School, from “Rough Rider,” Roosevelt Junior High School Yearbook, 1988.
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Figure 82. “A corner of the new Roosevelt Library.” From School District 4 Annual Report, 1951.
Figure 83. Eugene Register Guard article with image of Roosevelt Junior High School library serving as classroom space. Eugene Register Guard, June 15, 1952.
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Figure 84. View of kitchen and food preparation from 1954 Annual Report.
Figure 85. View of kitchen and food preparation from 1954 Annual Report.
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Figure 86. Conference room used as storage, from Annual Report 1958.
Figure 87. Studying in the library, from “Rough Rider” Yearbook, 1968.
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Figures 88. Students at Roosevelt Junior High School, from “Rough Rider” Yearbook, 1975.
Figure 89. Students at Roosevelt Junior High School, from Figure 90. Student at Roosevelt Junior “Rough Rider” Yearbook, 1975. High School, 1975, from “Rough Rider” Yearbook, 1975.
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Figure 91. Interior corridor, from “Rough Rider,” Roosevelt Junior High School yearbook, 1976.
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Figure 92. Page from 1986 “Rough Rider” Yearbook, illustrating fire damage.
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Figure 93. Page from 1986 “Rough Rider” Yearbook, illustrating repair and rebuilding efforts and plan.
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Figure 94. Page from 1987 “Rough Rider” Yearbook, illustrating fire damage and repair efforts.
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Figure 95. Page from 1987 “Rough Rider” Yearbook, illustrating repair efforts and completed new entrance.
APPENDIX A:
ORIGINAL PLAN DRAWINGS 1949
WOLFF & PHILLIPS ARCHITECTS
APPENDIX B:
ADDITION—PLAN DRAWINGS 1951
WOLFF & PHILLIPS ARCHITECTS
APPENDIX C:
ADDITIONS—PLAN DRAWINGS 1954
WOLFF & PHILLIPS ARCHITECTS
APPENDIX D:
ADDITIONS—PLAN DRAWINGS 1955
WOLFF & PHILLIPS ARCHITECTS
APPENDIX E:
KITCHEN EXPANSION—PLAN DRAWINGS 1957
HAMLIN AND MARTIN ARCHITECTS
APPENDIX F
ADDITIONS—PLAN DRAWINGS 1965
HAMLIN AND MARTIN ARCHITECTS
APPENDIX G:
ADDITIONS—PLAN DRAWINGS 1968
WILLIAM W. WILSON, ARCHITECT
APPENDIX H:
FIRE DAMAGE REPAIR/REMODEL—PLAN DRAWINGS 1986
THE BALZHISER GROUP