John Shearer: An Architectural Look At Hillcrest, CSLA And White Oak Schools

Despite their similar function, schools are among the most diverse-looking buildings in a mid-sized community like Chattanooga.

 

You get everything from classic, to mid-century, to more contemporary due to the fact that the construction of buildings has been spaced out over time as neighborhoods grow or new structures are needed.

And due to tight budgets, you might get only a few buildings or new schools built here every decade.

 

With spring break taking place and the schools empty, I decided to stop and walk around a few and take pictures of them last weekend to get a total feel for what they look like.

 

I had actually been on my way to get some pictures of something else Saturday and realized that might be more challenging than I thought. But as I drove back past Hillcrest Elementary, I became more curious about the rest of the structure besides the familiar front part visible to passing motorists along Highway 153 by the Highway 58 exit.

 

I have also been by the Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts off East Brainerd Road and the former White Oak Elementary in recent months and wanted to include them in a critique as well.

 

If I had been able to plan this better, I might have included a more contemporary school as well, since all three of the others are from the middle part of the 20^th century, even though they look different from each other.

 

Maybe somewhere down the road I can take a similar look at some other schools.

 

And this was intended simply as an architectural glance, not some kind of observation of obvious physical plant needs. Ideally, if I was doing more of a feature or news story than just a personal critique, I would have gotten a tour of the inside as well by school or system officials, if possible, and probably would have had all the building’s shortcomings pointed out.

 

Unfortunately for historic preservationists, most school officials seem more interested in a school building’s functionality and condition and physical needs than how well it serves as an ode to a well-done architectural style of the past.

 

Sure, most everyone probably thinks the historic and classic Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences on East Third Street is a gem, but that may be about it for architectural appreciation.

 

But every school building done well is a unique representation of the era in which it was built. The classic-looking CSLA building is a throwback to the time right after World War II when it was Elbert Long School, and White Oak is a salute to the mid-century modern era of Eisenhower and JFK and trying to get a man on the moon.

 

Another conflicting aspect about school building appreciation is that many alumni like to see their school buildings changed little, other than general upkeep and maintenance, if it was a happy time in their lives.

 

They want the outside and the hallways to look just as the structures did when they were in school to help with happy reminiscing, and they don’t want the library to look as though it has undergone a complete makeover. Whereas a school official or even a parent might see all the physical changes needed to update the school and make it functional and useful for today’s students.

 

As mentioned, the first school I looked at from the outside was Hillcrest Elementary. From its front side that is much more visible than the rest due to its location not far from busy Highway 153, it might be described as a plain Jane. It is not overly inspiring.

 

However, a look at the complete school from the outside shows one or two interesting features. It has two sets of windows that come together in a corner on the front, which is a little interesting, and it does feature numerous other large sets of windows covering classrooms. That seems a lot nicer looking than the schools built in more recent decades that often feature minimum window space.

 

Sometimes sunlight coming through during different times of the day does cause problems in such schools that don’t have proper blinds, but human nature generally prefers more natural light than less. At least designers of school buildings in the mid-century banked on that, thinking that was better than possible classroom distractions by students looking out windows too much.

 

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this school featuring basically two parallel wings is the apparent newer part on the east side of the school. In a very creative design not usually seen, it has classrooms that are laid out like a giant pair of steps so that the second floor sits back.

 

Kudos to whomever came up with that design. There is also an interesting set of sloping roofs in that area. And all these new parts have plenty of window space, too, although it is obviously done in the style of more recent decades.

 

Exactly when all the parts of Hillcrest School were built might be hard to figure out, unless one is able to go through central office records or school board minutes. The Chattanooga city directory does not seem to list the school until 1963, with A.F. Newman listed as the principal. But a newspaper article on file at the Chattanooga Public Library talks about a 1971 fire at the school damaging the newer classrooms built in 1958.

 

Whether this is correct is not known. The only other news clippings found deal with some accusations and counter-accusations over the use of money by a Hillcrest administrator a few years ago.

 

Former student Herb DeLoach does recall that the school opened in about the mid-to-late 1940s and was originally called Jersey Kings Point.

 

What I also found interesting – or even perplexing -- when glancing at the school was an old mid-century water fountain lying horizontally on the ground outside the school. Time had apparently run out on this literal fountain of/for youth.

 

After a quick walk around Hillcrest, which seems to have a ball field and adequate space for recreation around it, I got back on Highway 153 and then I-75 south and got off at the East Brainerd Road exit.

 

A short drive down the road took me to the Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts, or as I and countless other baby boomers and those older might call it – the former Elbert Long School.

 

While I might have had to scrape the barrel to find one or two interesting features of the Hillcrest School other than the newer wing, CSLA jumped out immediately as being an attractive school from the front.

 

For those who like classic-looking schools, this is a real gem, and it could easily be used as the backdrop in the filming of a movie or TV show dealing with a school, especially one set in the past.

 

Of course, the newspaper clippings and news reports of the recent past have all talked about issues regarding the building’s not-so-great condition and overcrowding due to the popularity of the magnet school.

 

But someone in the field of historic preservation, or just fans of old school buildings, would definitely tell you to preserve and restore the building, even if it is no longer used for educational purposes.

 

What makes it nice looking primarily are three factors. The first is the nice and spacious grassy area covered with a few trees in front of it. The other two are the attractive entrance area trimmed with precast stone over the windows and doors, and the neat auditorium wing.

 

Also, they both have neat precast stone seals above them. A spread eagle with an American-inspired shield over it sits above the entrance area, and a circular map of the Americas sits above the auditorium entrance. How is that for being unique!

 

Some darker brick trim is also noticeable in places for accent.

 

Although the school building almost looks like it could date to the 1920s or earlier, a plaque near the entrance of the school said the building was constructed in 1949. It was built by the Verhey Construction Company and designed by the firm of Sears and Shepherd, with Earl Smith, the father of longtime local historic preservationist Andy Smith, the associate architect.

 

It, of course, opened as the Elbert Long School. Mr. Long was a World War I veteran who worked for years with car dealerships, including the last few years before his retirement as a vice president with Newton Chevrolet.

 

He was also on the Hamilton County School Board and was interested in education, and that is how the school was named for him. He died in October 1982.

 

The school was apparently an elementary school and junior high when it opened, but must have become strictly a junior high by the 1960s. When it later became part of the city school system and efforts were made to close schools with smaller enrollments in 1989, it was on the list to be shut down.

 

However, due to the fact that the Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences had waiting lists and the Paideia school concept was so popular, in 1991 the school started being used as a magnet school. Its new name was to be the Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts.

 

It was originally an elementary school, with grades 7 and 8 added over the next two years.

 

The school was remodeled slightly at the time of the conversion, with the old library converted into the main office, and two classrooms across from the office remade into the new library. The old seats from the auditorium were also removed to allow for different kinds of seating. The new principal was Mary Ann Holt.

 

Due to years of comments about overcrowding and/or the building’s condition, plans are now to relocate CSLA to the Tyner Middle School complex in 2021, according to a 2017 news article.

 

The sentimentalists and preservationists would probably like to see some kind of reuse for the building – such as condos -- if CSLA does relocate, and hope the property is not simply sold to a developer wanting to demolish the structure.

 

Another positive aesthetic/amenity about the school is that for years it has had one of the largest pieces of recreation space and athletic fields in Chattanooga behind it. Even I as a Hixson resident attending Bright School found my way over there for our school flag football team that played its YMCA-sanctioned games there on Saturdays around the falls of 1969 and/or 1970.

 

Although I lived closer to the former White Oak Elementary, I never actually saw it up close until the last year or so in my never-ending quest to find different places to jog with nice and large grassy areas.

 

Sitting off Altamont Road near the intersection with Memorial Drive, it definitely looks like it is from a different era, even though it opened in 1959, only 10 years after the more classic-looking Elbert Long/CSLA.

 

It truly has a mid-century vibe about it, with glass windows covering not most, but all, of some classrooms. Yards and yards of nothing but windows can be found on two wings, much like at Brainerd High, which opened in 1960.

 

In fact, the White Oak school could be referred to as a giant greenhouse due to so much glass. A small greenhouse does actually sit outside on one end.

 

Despite the rust that has settled over many of the window frames, one can still grasp the futuristic mid-century modern look intended by the architect. It definitely feels like the dawn of the space era.

 

The large square wing on one end – where the school’s name is still partly hanging -- has some neat windows on the upper floor to accent this even more.

 

The school also has some classic pieces of metal playground equipment still intact – and still a little rusty – on the upper of the two fields uniquely surrounding the entire front of the school. 

 

About the only critique is that the entrance area of the school is a little understated, perhaps as part of the mid-century look. A mid-century cover somewhat like that found at Northside Cleaners on Hixson Pike sits around the back for cars unloading students.

 

Exactly who the architect was could not be found in an initial search, although a newspaper photograph from 1959 said the structure was built by T.U. Parks Construction Co.

 

The White Oak school – which was built to replace a 1926 structure leveled in a 1958 fire – apparently closed about 2006 but has been operating as the county schools’ Dawn School for students with disabilities since then.

 

Whether it is still at the dawn or dusk as a building used for educational purposes in Hamilton County is not known publicly, but it and particularly the CSLA building have found a few architectural admirers along the way.

 

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Note: This is another in a series of stories looking at, analyzing and critiquing Chattanooga’s architectural, urban and pastoral landscape. To see the previous story in the series, read here. 

https://www.chattanoogan.com/2019/2/16/384927/John-Shearer-Examining-Older.aspx

 

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Jcshearer2@comcast.net.