Wednesday, June 19, 2013

How Buildings Reflect Who We Are

I used to work in the old School District headquarters at 21st and the Parkway. As I wind down my final days working in the central administration, I cast my mind back fondly to that building. The architect, Irwin Catharine, was the architect for many of the schools built in Philadelphia during the 1920's. A time that the New Deal invested in public works.

In the building in at 21st Street, the detail of the architecture was astounding. Marble and Art Deco tile work were scattered throughout the building. This was echoed in buildings throughout Philadelphia that Irwin Catharine designed. It's why so many Philadelphia schools look so much alike. A quick look on Wikpedia shows an incredible  list of schools he designed (below). And what ties them all together is workmanship, craftsmanship and the sheer volume of investment these buildings represent.

So how fitting that when public education for low income students was abandoned - when students of color began to make up the population in the urban centers  that populated the public schools - the construction of new schools at this incredible pace of investment was abandoned. And then in 2005, when the beautiful Irwin Catharine designed 21st Street headquarters was sold to the highest bidder, privatized and turned into high end apartments rather than space for a public service, we should have been able to see this as a symbol of all the tragedy to come.After all, 21st Street headquarters had fallen in to disrepair. Lack of funds left that monument to public education in poor shape. So badly was the building limping along that a member of the school board decided to personally finance the cleaning of the beautiful brass doors so that they could once again shine...

Now 21st Street is cleaned, renovated and commands pretty hefty rental prices. The brass on those doors shines brightly. And the current School District headquarters are relegated to a sterile former factory building, retro-fitted with cubicles and humming with the corporate efficiency that has taken over the public space. The warmth and artistry of 21st Street have been replaced with cold efficiency. Those other Catharine buildings listed on the National Registry of Historic Places are slowly but surely being sold off to the highest bidder, closed and shuttered, turned into condos, or, ironically, charter schools.

Should we have new buildings for our students? Undoubtedly. But when I scan the list below, I shake my head at the loss of a time when the public good meant governmental investment at a level that we haven't seen at least in my lifetime. .As the schools close over the next year - and beyond - we should be reminded and mourn the loss of the investment in the public good and remember it was not always like this...




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