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Steve Jetton
This may be interesting to some of you. They've made the old HS and BJHS blg on Washington St into a senior living facility.
https://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/watch-now-washington-senior-apartments-brings-new-life-to-former-bloomington-high-school/article_654b6feb-43db-5e11-81e8-fa78071829b2.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1d
Looks nice, based on the photos. That bldg has been basically a white elephant for years .... I am definitely cheering for this initiative to succeed.
I am a fan of those old bldgs. You don’t see the décor and structural details in newer architecture (a “no duh,” I know). Some years back they were running a volunteer tax service out of the building & Elaine and I were there for one or two years. I took advantage of some down time to do some exploring / reminiscing. The old place looked a little (well, more than a little) rough then but still had the look and feel. Imagine there is still quite a bit of resuscitation needed.
I went there in 8th & 9th grades, when the new HS opened. Lemme figure – that would’ve been fall 1959. The bldg was completed in 1915, so It’s life as BHS was only 44 years. Seems surprising to me. Current one on E. Locust would be in it’s 52nd year.
The Jr High moved into the Centennial gradeschool site in 1990, so the old bldg’s life as a school was 75 yrs.
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