50 years ago: School board votes to tear down school building
100 years ago, May 20, 1926
Work is progressing rapidly on O’Fallon’s new public park and playgrounds in Lincoln Heights.
Last Friday the excavating for the basement of the large dance pavilion was completed. The structure, when completed will have a floor space of 80x120 feet.
Efforts will be made to complete this, the first of a group of buildings, before the next home-coming celebration in August. The work of planting shade trees is nearing completion.
More than 300 trees have already been placed and the board hopes to finish this task within the next week or ten days. In all more than 350 trees are to be set out. Winding driveways, leading thru the park have been graded and in all probability will be filled with cinders or other suitable material within the next few weeks. A site for a baseball diamond has been graded also.
Other improvements, such as playgrounds, swimming pool, etc., are to be added as funds are derived from the annual home-comings.
The park, which comprises twenty acres, is located in an ideal spot fronting the hard road on the south and opposite Lincoln Heights on the west. One of the first social events of the season for the benefit of the new park will be given on Saturday, May 29th, in the form of an open air dance in the City Park.
To this the citizens and the public in general from surrounding cities is most cordially invited.
The park under construction is better known today as Community Park. It replaced City Park, located at Lincoln Ave. and Washington St., as O’Fallon’s principal park. The dance pavilion would later become the original Katy Cavins Community Center. While a pool was dreamed of back then, one wasn’t actually built until 1959.
75 years ago, May 17, 1951
Two accurate harbingers of spring (if the warm weather hasn’t already told you spring is here) are in the offing for O’Fallon.
At 2:30 p.m. Sunday, the Cub Scouts will hold a kite flying contest in Community Park. The Cub Scouts are sponsored by the Rotary Club. About 30 are entered in the contest and prizes will be awarded for the biggest kite, smallest kite, highest kite and best decorated kite. All kites must be made by the help from adults.
The marble tournament is being sponsored by the Kiwanis Club with finals to be May 24 at the time of the school picnic. Entries are still being taken for this event. Lester B. Sample, industrial arts teacher at O’Fallon Township High School, is accepting entries for this contest.
50 years ago, May 20, 1976
Sometime between now and the beginning of the 1976-77 school year, the West Building at Marie Schaefer Junior High School will be torn down.
The O’Fallon Grade School Board of Education voted Tuesday night to raze the building and not renew the lease with the Our World Day Care Center which is occupying the first floor of the building. The lease expired June 30.
Art Erb, volunteer director of Our World, said after the meeting he was “disappointed in the board’s action.”
Erb said a meeting of the central board of directors for Our World was scheduled for tonight (Thurday) to discuss the situation for finding a new location for the day care center.
“Day care will continue in O’Fallon. The only question is where it will continue,” Erb said.
Considerable discussion was given to the West Building at Tuesday’s meeting. Approximately 20 volunteers from Our World were at the meeting.
Board president Wilmer Knewitz told the group that the board had a responsibility to provide an education for the children of O’Fallon.
“We do not have a responsibility to provide a building for a day care center,” Knewitz said.
Erb told the board that a delay in deciding to raze the building or not would be more advisable in order to be able to study ways the building could be used.
Superintendent of Schools Harold Landwehrmier had reported earlier that an architect’s estimate to bring the building up to state safety regulations for public schools was approximately $360,000. Estimates for razing the building ran from approximately $6,000 to $15,000. Estimates for portable classrooms, which the board may use to replace the building if more classroom space is needed, are approximately $17,000.
Landwehrmier said the building, constructed in 1901, will be torn down before the beginning of the next school year if bids are within reason. The building will be torn down and covered with sand and asphalt. The fence on the west side of the building will be moved to keep children from the area.
Members of the audience tried to convince the board to delay their action on the building.
“I consider it a crime to destroy a building of such local historical significance,” said Gigi Talcott.
However, board member Don Boyd moved to have the building razed. The motion was seconded by Ted Randall. Boyd, Randall, Knewitz and James Payne voted in favor of razing the building. Barbara Peacock voted against the motion. JoAnn Schaefer and Kathy Davinroy voted present.
The West Building was located on the south side of West Fifth street, between Cherry and Oak Streets. The Marie Schaefer School playground now occupies the site.