Education Building / University High School and University High School Gymnasium

Designed by Holabird & Roche and James White, [1] the first phase of the Education Building was completed at its present site in 1919, [2] its 40,400 square feet [3] and "collegiate Gothic" [4] exterior of Bedford limestone costing $127,751.75. [5] The realities of World War I forced the building to serve as an army training hospital immediately upon completion, but on September 12, 1921, it formally opened its doors as the Education Building with 63 students and 14 faculty members. [6] The three-story building measured 180 feet by 56 feet, and was the western phase of what was originally intended to be a three-phase building, with a center wing of 125 feet long and 85 wide, connected to an eastern wing of the same dimensions as the western one. Twin towers were to connect the three wings together. [7]

The new school was designed to "perform the functions of a model high school building for 200 pupils" and contained "five standard class rooms, rooms for manual training and for commercial branches and chemistry, physics and other science laboratories two small lecture rooms, thirteen recitation rooms, a library, several conference rooms and the faculty offices". Courses offered included "english, mathematics, social sciences, science, foreign languages, music, art, home economics, design, and industrial education", as well as advanced algebra. [8]

The 5,300 square foot [9] University High School Gymnasium was designed by James White [10] and constructed in 1929 [11] for $25,000 [12] to provide appropriate physical education quarters for the building. Prior to this, the building's attic was used for physical education and athletic training. [13]

By 1934 the two buildings were known as University High School and University High School Gymnasium. [14] [15]

By 1964 the University was looking into relocating the school to a "15-20 acre site between Florida and St. Mary's and just easy of the 9hole golf course". [16] They also planned to locate a University-run elementary school on the same site. [17]