Schools of the Recent Past

The American public school experienced profound changes in design during the post World War II era. These changes were in part a response to the larger, more open sites that characterized the outlying areas of cities and towns where the bulk of new residential development was occurring and where new educational facilities were most needed. Change also was shaped by new ideas in education that advocated a more informal, "domesticated" environment as optimal for learning.

As a result, most elementary and many high schools designed between the mid 1940s and early 1960s were organized horizontally, with wings extending into the landscape. One story buildings were common; heights seldom exceeded three even for the largest complexes. The school grounds were also now characteristically extensive, with patios and terraces, numerous recreational facilities, and parking lots. Often, too, the front of the property was enunciated by an expansive parklike tract.

The postwar school is a threatened resources. Little is known about these buildings which are all too frequently taken for granted or even reviled as antiquated by their constituencies. Often they are subjected to insensitive (an unnecessary) remodeling. Sometimes they are demolished.