Public school buildings frequently fall victim to unfortunate alterations – often in the name of energy conservation or ease of maintenance. This one is no exception. This building has been significantly altered twice since its initial construction, probably sometime in the 1920’s. The first alteration took place in the mid-20th century when the original wood windows were replaced by metal units. While not especially compatible with the original design, the metal units at least fill the entire space occupied by the original windows.
No one will notice if we rip out four banks of windows and plug the holes with bright white and a few random underscaled windows…
The second alteration was not so thoughtful. When four of the triple window units were removed, the voids were filled with what amounts to a wall painted stark white – which contrasts unfortunately with the warm, earthy, hues of the surrounding masonry. Simply painting these areas a blue/gray to emulate the remaining windows would go a long way toward mitigating the visual assault visible in the photo and restoring the intended symmetry of the facade.