Former School Building in IN Demolished 1992

New Palestine School, New Palestine Indiana

Date added: September 27, 2024

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Indiana
School

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New Palestine grew along the Brookville Road, an early transportation route in the state, about 20 miles east of Indianapolis. The first settlers arrived in the late 1820s, and, by about 1830, a subscription school was established. In 1852, a state law was passed that gave townships, as well as incorporated cities and towns, the power to levy taxes for the purpose of providing free schools. In 1858, the state supreme court declared unconstitutional the sections of the law that permitted local taxation, severely impeding the development of schools in the state. As a result of this action, many schools closed. A number of common schools, including the one in New Palestine, continued to operate, financed either by subscription, or local public funds. But high schools became nonexistent. A new, two-story, four-room, wood-frame schoolhouse was constructed in New Palestine in 1860.

An 1867 state law restored local taxation for education, initiating a flurry of school construction throughout the state. After this, free high schools began to be developed again, though many rural districts, such as New Palestine, did not have enough students to justify expenditures for a secondary school. County boards of education were created by state law in 1873 to govern rural schools. Incorporated cities and towns, including New Palestine, which was incorporated as a town in 1871, had their own superintendents, who operated under the authority of the township trustee. Other state laws passed in the 1870s allowed joint graded schools among districts in a township, or among adjacent townships or counties. Few places took advantage of this law because of problems with transporting students. The state continued to promote consolidation, however, because of reduced costs, as well as better educational opportunities for more students.

By 1887, there were eight school districts in Sugar Creek Township. All schoolhouses in the township were one or two-room buildings, except for the one in New Palestine, now a four-room brick structure, built in 1884. A high school, with a three-year course of study, was established in this building in 1895. The New Palestine High School was the first, and has been since, the only high school in the township. The first high school in Hancock County was established in Greenfield, the county seat, in 1878.

Other high schools in the county were built between 1889 and 1899.

The economy of Sugar Creek Township was based on agriculture in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. As such, the population of the township declined as industrialization in the state increased, and many people moved to the cities to take jobs. Between 1890 and 1920, township population fell from 1,905 to 1,655. During the same period, in Indiana as a whole, the rural population decreased from about 73 percent of the total state population to about 49 percent. Several new laws, however, resulted in an increased number of students in the New Palestine School, despite the loss of population. The first of these was the compulsory education law, for students aged seven to 14, passed by the state legislature in 1897. Then, in 1899, legislation was passed to allow local school corporations to provide free transportation to students, encouraging school consolidation. As the largest school building in the township, located in the largest settlement, New Palestine School became the consolidated school for the township.

The school consolidation movement was given a further boost in 1907, when the state legislature required the discontinuation of district schools with an average daily attendance of less than 12 students. In 1908, a fourth year was added to the high school in New Palestine. And, in 1913, the compulsory education age was extended to 16. These developments resulted in rapid growth of the school population of New Palestine. For example, between the fall of 1914 and the spring of 1915, the number of students increased from 293 to 425.

In 1865, there were 87 school districts in Hancock County. Most were still in force when the compulsory education law was passed in 1897. Between 1897 and 1903, 18 districts were abandoned. By 1916, only about 35 districts remained in the county. In Sugar Creek township, only four districts remained, each represented by one school building. The New Palestine building, already partially consolidated, was the largest of these, with a total of seven teachers for the grade and high schools. One room schools in Districts 2 and 3 each had one teacher, and the two-room school at Philadelphia had two teachers.

In 1916, the New Palestine High School was commissioned. To be commissioned, a high school's program had to meet standards established by the state. Graduation from a commissioned high school ensured admission to most colleges and universities in Indiana. In 1916, there were 527 commissioned high schools out of a total of 809. In 1900, there had been only 156 commissioned high schools in Indiana out of a total of 717. As more township schools were consolidated, the number of commissioned high schools increased. Rural high schools like New Palestine's were able to meet commission standards partly because of consolidation, which meant a larger pool of shared resources for improving educational standards.

In 1918, the school building at New Palestine was condemned by the State Board of Health because of overcrowding, and other inadequacies. This started a movement for a new school building. For nearly two years, the people of districts served by the New Palestine School were divided. One faction wanted to build a new school. The other faction opposed the building, which would be financed by a bond issue, and favored rehabilitation of the old school. Eventually, advocates of the new building won out. William Henry Garns (1868-1938), an Indianapolis architect, was hired to design the building. S.A. Hickman of Martinsville was hired as contractor after submitting the low bid of $53,000. The building was started in 1919 and completed in 1920. An early addition included a gymnasium and auditorium.

When the school year started in 1926, the township was fully consolidated, with New Palestine as the only school. This same year, an addition was built on the west side of the building. This addition contained the present gymnasium, a study hall, an office, and three new classrooms. During the 1936-37 school year, another addition on the south side of the building was completed. This contained dressing rooms, showers, the home economics department, and the library. Another addition, built in 1943, increased the number of classrooms by three. This last addition is integral with the structure.

Various structures have been built on the school property. These include elementary additions, built in 1954 and 1960: a new high school building, built in 1968; and an industrial arts building, built in 1970. These are located to the rear of the original building, and are connected by one-story corridors.

Between the time the first school building was constructed in New Palestine in about 1830 and the time the 1920 building was constructed, there have been at least 16 school buildings, mentioned in various histories, constructed in Sugar Creek Township. In 1934, ten of these were still in existence. Today, only three historic school buildings in Sugar Creek Township, other than New Palestine School, remain. District School No. 1, a one-room schoolhouse built in 1891, is located on the east side of 250 West, north of U.S. 40, in Philadelphia. A ceramic business in housed in this building today. District School No. 2, a two-room school house built in 1901, is located on the west side of 500 West, south of U.S. 40 in Gem. District School No. 3, a one-room school house built c. 1890, is located on 700 West, south of 200 South. These last two schools are both residences.

In Marion County, in 1919, Adolf Scherrer, an Indianapolis architect, was commissioned by the school board to devise a standard plan for new schools. The standard school building was to have 16 classrooms, but could also be built with units of four, eight or twelve. The plan also included an auditorium, gymnasium, principal's office, nurse's office, and manual training and domestic science departments.

This plan may have influenced Garns and the New Palestine School officials, as the New Palestine School contains most of these components. The school was built with a Single loaded corridor, with four classrooms on two floors. It appears to have been planned to allow for expansion at the rear (south side) of the structure. The original gymnasium and auditorium, located in the center of the south side, comprise an early addition. A new, larger gymnasium and office were included in the 1926 addition. The old gymnasium was converted to a manual training department sometime after this. During the 1936-37 school year, a home economics department was added. Also included in this addition was a library, by that time considered an important element of a public school.

Little information was found on the career of the building's architect, William Henry Garns. The nature of his education is not known. Some of his other buildings were identified through various sources. These include Grace Methodist Episcopal Church (1920) and First Baptist Church (1920) in Indianapolis; Methodist Episcopal Churches in Washington and Brownsburg (both 1920); Brandywine School (1921), in Hancock County; Brooklyn School (1920), in Martin County; and the J.A. White House (1920), at 32^nd and Guilford Avenue in Indianapolis.

The New Palestine School was the center of education in Sugar Creek Township for 71 years. A new elementary school was built and occupied starting in the school year 1991-92. The school corporation proposes to demolish the New Palestine School, and build a new performing arts center on its site. A group of graduates formed to explore preservation options for the building.

Unfortunately, the building was demolished in 1992.

Building Description

The New Palestine School is located in New Palestine, Indiana, on U.S. 52, about 20 miles east of Indianapolis. It is located in southwestern Sugar Creek Township, in Hancock County. With a population of about 800, it is by far the largest community in the township. There are two other small, unincorporated settlements in the township, Gem, and Philadelphia, both located on U.S. 40 in the northeastern part of the township.

The school building is located on land that has been designated for school use since at least 1884, when the first brick school was constructed here. The building sits at the end of Depot Street, on the south side of U.S. 52.

The original part of the building is a two-story brick building, the brick laid in common bond, with stone trim. The building has a raised basement, and a seven-bay main (north) facade. The building has a brick parapet which hides a composition roof that slopes to the south.

There is a stone band around the base of the building. Above this, on the basement level, there is a decorative brick pattern, in which every third course projects, which extends around the entire building, including additions. On the main facade, the two end bays project from the rest of the facade. On these bays, there are no windows.

Above the brick work at the basement level, there is a stone molding which extends around the building. Above this molding, on the end bays of the main facade, there is a rectangular pattern of bricks with stone accents at the corners, at the level of the first and second floors. Above this, there is a second stone molding which extends around the north, west, and east sides of the original building, and the east side of the 1943 addition. Above this molding is a parapet wall with stone coping.

The main entry to the building is in the center bay of this facade. There are concrete steps leading to the landing of the entry, which is located at a level at the midpoint of the basement windows. The steps are enclosed by low brick walls with stone bases and caps. A brick portico at this entry has square pillars with stone bases. These pillars support a stone entablature with "A.D. 1919" inscribed on the frieze. Above this entablature is a brick, stepped parapet with stone coping. The doors at the entry are the original doors. These are double, paneled, wood doors with large glass panels on the upper halves. The doors are flanked by sidelights and surmounted by a transom.

Windows are tall, and are grouped to form large areas of glass. At the basement level, there is a pair of windows each in the second and third bays from the west. There are a single window and a pair of windows in the seventh bay, and a single window in the sixth bay. These openings have aluminum sashes, divided horizontally into three parts. On the first floor, there are a group of five windows which extends the length of the second and third bays from the west, and a like group which extends the length of the fifth and sixth bays. These openings have stone sills, and lintels formed by bricks placed on end with stone accents. Sashes are aluminum, divided horizontally into four parts. There are like windows above these first floor windows, on the second floor. Also on the second floor, there is a group of three windows in the center bay. On the five center bays, the parapet is stepped. There is a stone tablet on the parapet in the center bay which is inscribed, "New Palestine High School." There is a row of vents between the basement and first floor windows, and between the first floor and second floor windows of the five center bays of the facade.

The east facade is three bays wide. The northern three bays are part of the original building. The southern two bays are part of the 1943 addition. There is a pair of windows in each of the northern two bays at the basement level. Above these, in each of the northern two bays of the first and second level, is a group of three windows. The third bay from the north originally had an entry, Similar to that on the facade, except with no portico. This entry is intact and can still be seen inside the corridor which connects the original building to a later addition. The entablature above this entry is visible on the outside of the building. Above this entablature is a large, square, multi-light window, at a level between the first and second stories. There are four narrow windows, at the corners of this large window, two each at the level of the first and second stories.

In the two southernmost bays of this facade, there is a group of three windows in each of the basement bays. Above these, in each of the bays of the first and second story, is a large, square, multi-light window. Sashes, sills, and lintels of the windows on the facade are like those on the main facade.

On the west facade, the northern two bays are like those on the east facade. Originally, the third bay on this facade was like the third bay on the opposite facade.

Most of this bay was covered on the exterior when the west addition was built in 1926. The entry doors in this bay are still visible on the inside. The entry bay contains the office on the second level, and doors leading into the gymnasium on the first level. The second level of this addition is between the first and second levels of the original building. In the basement and first level of this addition is the gymnasium. In the second level, besides the office, there are a study hall and classrooms. In the entry bay, at the first level, is a large set of double doors surmounted by a stone entablature. Above these on the second level, is a group of three windows.

On the west side of the entry bay, on the second level, is a pair of windows. The west facade of this addition is five bays wide. At the ground level, there is a group of three windows in each of the end bays. In the second and third bay from the north, there is a small, flat roofed section, which extends in height to the top of the ground level windows. On the west side of this section, there is a pair of windows in each bay. These windows are covered over. In the fourth bay, at the ground level, is a large, rectangular, multi-light window. On the second level, the five bays are defined by brick pilasters which project from the facade between groups of three windows. Windows in this addition are like those on the original part of the building.

On the south side of the 1926 addition, there is another addition, constructed during the 1936-37 school year.

This addition, contained dressing rooms, showers, the home economics department, and the library. There are three levels in this addition, the basement, first floor, and second floor. At the basement level, there are small windows in breaks in the stone band at the base of the building. On the first level are two pairs of small, wood, double hung windows with multi-light upper sashes. On the second level is a group of three windows, which are larger than, but otherwise like, first level windows. The rear of this addition, which is three bays wide, and the east side, are similar in design to the west side. On the ground level of the south side of the addition, in the westernmost bay, is a one story, glass and aluminum corridor that leads into a later addition to the school.

The rear of the building has an early addition in the center. The south side of the addition is three bays wide, with the bays divided by brick pilasters like those on the 1926 addition. This addition contains the first gymnasium and the auditorium. Windows are variously sized and irregularly placed. They are like the windows on the original part of the building in detailing. This side of the addition has no windows.

Additions to the school property include elementary additions, built in 1954 and 1960, a new high school building, built in 1968, and an industrial arts building, built in 1970. These structures are brick, with multi-light, aluminum windows. They are attached to the historic building by one story corridors.

The interior of the building is basically unaltered from its historic configuration and materials. The floors are hardwood, although they have been covered with carpet. Walls, and ceilings are plaster. The original woodwork is intact, but has been painted. Classroom doors are paneled, wood doors. The main entry to the building leads to a set of steps, which leads to a wide, east-west corridor. There are four classrooms off this corridor, two each on either side of the entry. There are identical stairways, one on each end of the building. In the center of the south wall of the corridor are double doors leading into the auditorium (now the library). The original stage and balcony are intact in this room, but have been walled over. A suspended, acoustical tile ceiling has been installed. The lower part of the balcony is partially visible at the far left. A doorway on the south wall of the corridor, at the east end, leads into the classroom that is part of the 1943 addition. There are cloak rooms behind each stairway, to the south, on each floor.

The basement has a concrete floor, plaster walls and ceilings. Original woodwork and wood paneled doors are intact. On the south side, the basement is lowered one-half story to accommodate the old gymnasium. This room, which later contained shop classes, has a suspended, acoustical tile ceiling.

The second floor contains four classrooms above first floor classrooms on the north side, plus a classroom on the opposite side, in the 1943 addition.

On the west side of the building is the 1926 gymnasium. This room has its original wood floor. The walls are glazed brick on the lower half, and plaster on the upper half. The brick has been painted. The original bleachers have been removed. Behind the gymnasium are dressing rooms, added in 1936. These are in their original condition, with glazed brick walls left unpainted. Above the gymnasium are a north-south corridor, located on the east side of the addition, which accesses an office, in the northwest corner, classrooms, and a study hall. The original home economics department and library are housed in rooms above the dressing rooms.