This School was Converted into a Library Then Left Vacant Until Burning Down 12/3/24

Merced County High School, Merced California

Date added: December 10, 2024

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This building was the first building specifically designed and constructed as a high school in Merced County. It also served as an early home of the Merced County Library and other civic/governmental offices. This building was a major visual city landmark,

The original building exhibited a style of design not common in Merced and may have been the only example of Richardsonian Romanesque in the community. The building appearance was altered from the original by the removal of its bell tower, plastering of the brick, and other remodeling projects.

Mr. "Bill" Bedesen (graduating class of 1903 and retired Merced County Surveyor who was responsible for the remodeling of 1953) stated in a Merced Sun Star newspaper interview: "Before that high school, the first in this county, was built, anyone who wanted an education beyond the eighth grade had to go to a private academy - and at about $20 per term, too."

Louise Norvell, who taught history at Merced High School and later became Vice Principal and Dean of Giris, authored the "History of the School" in the 1949-50 edition of Bear Facts (student handbook). An excerpt of Ms. Norvell's history follows:

The Merced Union High School was established in 1895 as the Merced County High School. It was housed in the old Academy building which was located on the present site of the LeConte School. The faculty consisted of the Principal, Mr. Jefferson Elmore, and his wife. The enrollment was 64.

In the second year a third member was added to the faculty, Mr. Fred Koch, who had just been graduated from the University of California, and in January of that year - 1897 - the school moved into its new building in Court House Park, the structure which is now occupied by the County Library. The school remained there until 1920 …

After two years Mr. Elmore resigned to accept a professorship … at Stanford University and Mr. Koch became principal. During Mr. Koch's regime of three years athletic activities came into their own. Football teams were organized. Field days were held. Games were exchanged with neighboring towns. Merced participated in the big field meets at Fresno and joined in organizing the San Joaquin Valley Athletic League of which it held the first presidency and through which it won its first championship silver trophy in 1899.

It was in this era that the school motto was chosen, the school song was written, the first yells were composed, and it was decided that the school colors should be orange and black.

Mr. Koch resigned to become a teacher in Lowell High School and later principal of Galileo High School in San Francisco.

In 1915, due very largely to the efforts of the late principal, Mr. Sanderson, a Union High School district was created consisting of thirty-six elementary school districts which contributed students to this school. The control of the school passed from the County Board of Education to a Board of Trustees and the Merced County High School became the Merced Union High School. Not a great while later a system of free transportation for students in this area was inaugurated.

The first class to graduate - the class of 1898 - numbered twenty-three students.

This building was a key building in the early Merced County civic center. Education and cultural life centered in and around this building for over 85 years. It served not only as the high school building but was where some early cultural events such as lectures and recitals for the public were held.

In the complex of county structures clustered around Court House Park, "The Old Library" is the only original building other than the Courthouse still in existence, the stone county jail building having been removed about 1967. Built in 1897, the building served as the first designated High School building for Merced County. From 1921 to 1976 it served as the County Library according to Ms. Angie Hopkins (Merced County Library staff). The building also provided office space over the years for the Superior Court Judges' chambers, the Merced Veteran's Office, the Merced County switchboard, the Merced Schools' Library, the California Highway Patrol Office, part of the Merced County Welfare Office (about 1953), and the Merced County Parks and Recreation Department (moved in 1959).

According to George W. Clark's History of Merced County, "The Merced County Library was Opened in 1910 in a cottage on the corner of 18^th and Canal ("L" Street). In 1912 the library was moved to the Shaffer Building on the corner of 17^th and "N" Streets. When Merced High School moved from its outgrown building on the corner of 22^nd and "M" Streets to its new high school plant on "G" Street, between 18^th and 20^th Streets, some alterations were made in the building to prepare it for library use. The library moved into the building in 1921. The Merced County Library served 24 branches in Merced and Mariposa Counties. It had a circulation in 1970 of more than 327,463 books, magazines and phonograph records. It had a juvenile department and a reference department where one could secure information on a valley-wide basis.

George Clark's history goes further to state: "For many years the County Library was used to store and service the books used in the county schools which were later transferred to the County Schools library … Audio visual materials used in the county schools were also housed in an adjoining structure before both were transferred in 1970 to the present Merced County Department of Education when the County Board of Education Purchased the Galen Clark School and all the County School facilities were moved to that location."

The Architect for the Merced High School building was Louis S. Stone of San Francisco. Sometime prior to 1903 Stone formed a partnership with Henry O. Smith and together they practiced architecture for several years at various Market Street addresses in San Francisco. According to the American Art Annual (Vol. 7, 1910). Louis Stone was a member of the American Institute of Architects in Oakland.

One of the later accomplishments of Louis Stone was to author "Economics in Modernization" in the January 1933 issue of Architectural Forum magazine. Some of the buildings he designed were in San Francisco at the following locations: Green near Scott for Bancroft, Green near Scott for Middleton, Scott near Union for Bates, Clay near Laurel for Stanford; other schools were Elmhurst Junior High School in Oakland, Richmond High School in Richmond and Analy High School in Sebastapol. The Builder, according to the January 16^th, 1896 edition of the Sun Star, who turned in the low bid of $12,790.00, was John Miller; the heating and ventilating bid was by a firm named Morgan for $805.33. W.H. McElroy was selected to oversee the construction. C.A. Galvin contracted to do the cornice work.

Historic 1897 Merced building reduced to rubble after devastating fire
Fire ravages 19^th century high school building in Merced County. Here is what we know

Building Description

Merced County High School is a large two-story 1897 Richardsonian Romanesque institutional building with stucco over the original red brick. It is located east of the 1875 courthouse in the city's courthouse square. The original appearance of the building has been altered by the removal of the upper portion of the central wooden tower around 1903, and the addition of stucco over the original brick in 1956. The interior was remodeled for library use circa 1921 and for county offices in 1953.

This building as originally designed was a fine example of Richardsonian Romanesque style. Although not completely true to the style (this building is brick and wood rather than rock with a coursed ashlar finish) the original building did include the following stylistic characteristics; broad hipped roof with cross gables, tower, transomed windows arranged in ribbon-like fashion, round-arched entry with return at impost level, eaves close to the walls, short and squat chimney, and brackets. However, the removal of the wooden tower, plastering of the once-exposed brick, and a new color scheme give the building a rather "Mission Style" appearance. Removal of the plaster to expose the brick would probably cause more damage than has already been done.

The building is situated on the eastern side of Court House Park, an area that originally included four landscaped blocks. Approximately half of the original park is still maintained as such, however, subsequent public buildings have encroached from the north, west, and east sides of the park.

This approximately 66 by 83 foot building is a two-storied plus basement brick structure that rises to a height of about 48 feet. California redwood was used for the roof structure which is a combination of gable and hipped shapes and is "U" in plan with a tower in the center of the "U". The main transverse ridge of the roof runs from north to south with a gable on each end, gables facing north and south.

The visual center of the facade is the round-arched entry. Steps lead up to the main level and through the arch. Inside the portico, there are two large oak doors with a half-circle window above the entry. The recessed arch springs from an elevated base supported by short engaged columns now covered with stucco. Between the second and third-floor windows there are three spandrel panels half the height of each window; these give the feeling, along with the ribbon windows, of unity; although the wall between the windows is flat and space between the windows of the second and third floor gives the feeling of long columns. Above the first-floor windows there is a heavy water table that runs horizontally around the entire building.

Above the main entry porch, there is a short tower, all that remains of a taller tower removed circa 1899-1903. According to Mr. "Bill" Bedesen, this tower was torn down when someone determined that it was dangerous. Part of the original tower ornamentation was reused in the construction of the present shorter tower. From the east, the square and massive tower can be seen with overhanging eaves and a heavy cornice line. The second floor has a balcony which is located above the main entrance. The balcony is trimmed with a spindled wooden balustrade. Rising just above the balustrade are two four over four round arch windows. In the tower, there are five arched openings. The tower is topped with a four-sided balustrade with octagonal domed columns on each of the four corners.

On the north and south sides, the gables are decorated by a pair of finals at the corner of the gable roof. A large arched window is located in the gable, divided into a large number of small panels. Under the gable on each side is a double row of three windows identical to the windows on the front of the building. At the ground level, there are two windows and a door on each side. The windows are the same as the ground-level windows in front. At the back of the building, there is a large chimney. On each side of the chimney, there are two double-width windows (double the width of the side and front windows) at the second and third floors. At the ground level, there is a six-pane window under the outside row of windows and a small door under the inside row of windows. There are corner insets on each side at the rear of the building. In each inset, there is a double-width window, facing the rear at the third-floor level. Under the double-width windows, there is a loading door on the north side between the ground and second-floor levels. On the south side, there is a double glass door which is not original.

Originally, there was a barn west of the rear of the building for the storage of students' wagons and carriages. This barn no longer exists, and the date of demolition is unknown but was after 1926.

The basement floor is divided into one large room, (originally chemistry and physics labs), several other small rooms and a boiler room. The second-floor main entrance is reached from "M" Street by walking up a short flight of steps and passing under the arched opening. The main floor originally was divided into classrooms, a library, and principal's office. The principal's office has restrooms and what appears to be some of the original cabinetry. To the left, there is another pair of offices or small classrooms. Straight ahead is the original school library. On the second floor, there is the original gymnasium which has a platform and additional classrooms. There are restrooms in the building. A dumbwaiter connected all three floors and appears to have been added after the County library moved in 1910. Although worn, the dumbwaiter is still in place and the works are in the attic. The heavy floor joists appear to be fir or some similar species. The ceilings and walls are all coved plaster and are in need of repair. Wood moldings and doors, probably beautiful at one time, have for the most part been painted many times.

The banisters are made of oak and still look rather elegant. According to Mr. "Bill" Bedesen, the building was originally heated by some sort of forced air system. There is now only one set of stairs leading from the main floor to the basement although there was a second stair on the south side of the building that also led to the basement. There is an entrance to the basement on the outside on the north side of the front of the building. Sometime in its past this building survived a fire, the evidence of which can be seen on floor-joists in the large room on the main floor.