Ohio Avenue paves the way for historic schools

This Week News

11/22/07

SUE HAGAN

The tin ceilings are still there, and the original wooden floors are polished to a soft gleam. Central hallways, brightly painted in cream and blue, are 16 feet wide and the terrazzo tile in the stairs has stood the test of time.

These are features architects wanted to keep in the original 1898 Ohio Avenue Elementary building.

On the other hand, a 1950s wing has been replaced by a new cafeteria - a bright space with soaring ceilings and a bank of windows. The computer lab is state of the art, and is supported by a technology room that the original designers of the 109-year-old building could never have dreamed of.

Bathrooms have been replaced, air conditioning added and elevators and ramps make the building fully handicapped-accessible.

Kathy Mast Kane, executive director of the Columbus Landmarks Foundation, said Ohio Avenue is an example of what can be done to preserve architecturally significant buildings.

“Many people believe that historic buildings cannot be brought up to modern standards as far as state-of-the-art technology, etcetera,” she said. “But they can. The Statehouse is an excellent example; it has a state-of-the-art communication system.

“Most importantly even if the same amount of money was invested in a new school building, the end product is something that will not stand up to the quality of the historic buildings. … The quality of materials, the detail of design — these are not affordable to replicate today.”

Mast Kane said there are connections between old buildings and the community that extend far beyond bricks and mortar.

“Schools are more than schools, they are a symbol,” she said. “Frequently schools are designed to have a neighborhood built around them. People don’t understand the dynamic of that until it’s gone.”

Ohio Avenue is the first of Columbus City Schools’ historic school buildings to be completely renovated with funding assistance from the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC), the agency that is overseeing school rebuilding and renovation projects statewide. The school, located east of downtown, reopened this fall.

Work is under way on a number of other schools. Avondale, Burroughs and Southwood elementary schools, along with East High School, are to be completed by the end of 2008 or early in 2009, according to Carole Olshavsky, CCS senior executive for capital improvements.

South High School and Crestview Middle School (which will house the Indianola Informal K-8 program) are to be finished by summer 2009.

“The interesting thing is that we actually have kept the historic buildings and torn down the more modern additions,” Olshavsky said. “They were 1950s-era buildings which are not compatible with the original building and not of the quality of the original. It’s a little bit ironic, tearing down the newer buildings and keeping the turn-of-the-century schools.”

The school district is able to make that statement only because of plenty of intense negotiations with the OSFC.

“The state’s normal rule was if the renovation is more than two-thirds the cost of new construction, they recommend going with new construction,” said Olshavsky.

She said a Landmarks Foundation study showed that the historic buildings could be kept and renovated for less than the cost of new construction, and the state agreed to help fund the renovations.

As to actually being able to renovate for the same cost as building new, Olshavsky said, “it’s been close…. There are little hidden things that no one knew about that add to the cost.”

At Ohio Avenue, one area on the lower level, which is half underground, turned out to have a dirt floor under a platform, and contractors had to add a concrete slab.

Asbestos has had to be removed from the schools, and sometimes that has proven to be a big job.

“Depending on the decade the schools were built, some have plaster with asbestos and some don’t,” said Olshavsky. “Burroughs is one that had asbestos in the building walls. We removed all the plaster and will cover the walls with drywall.”

She said that restrooms were gutted and redone, and - in some instances - relocated.

Ron Minekime, CCS project manager on the Ohio Avenue job, said that the district has “battled budget issues” throughout the project. For example, while each classroom did get new glass window panes, some of the old panes, which had a Plexiglas coating that clouded over time, were not replaced. And some new issues are popping up.

The old plaster walls retained a lot of moisture over the years, said Minekime.

“Now, with air conditioning, a lot of that old moisture is being pulled out of the walls and affecting the finishes,” he said, pointing out places where new paint has bubbled.

“But really, you can have that same kind of issue with new construction,” he said.

Olshavsky said that modern lifestyles were considered in the renovations. A primary example is that main entrances now are off the parking lots, which typically are at the rear or sides of the building.

“That’s common on all of them,” she said. “When you think of East (High School) you think of walking down Broad Street and going into the front doors. But we don’t really do that any more. In every case, we’re moving the main entry to what was the rear of the building to accommodate the modern world.”

At Ohio Avenue, that works very well, she said, pointing out a new entry canopy that provides a striking focal point.

Olshavsky said they believe that as more restorations are completed, the community will start seeing these buildings for the jewels they are. Ohio Avenue and the Fort Hayes Metropolitan High School historic buildings are already receiving recognition, being named finalists for a design award from the Landmarks Foundation.

Although neither school won the award, Olshavsky hopes that is just a matter of time.

“They are turning out to be absolutely wonderful spaces as they start to pull together and you can see the results,” she said. “They have stood the test of time, and with the renovations, will have at least a 150-year life span with active use. You don’t see that with new construction.”