Last photos of my high school

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I graduated from Elmhurst High School in Fort Wayne in 1994. My parents both graduated from Elmhurst in the late 1960s. It was Elmhurst's longtime art teacher, Don Goss, who made me realize that I was destined to be a professional artist. The school, which opened in the 1920s, was closed in 2010.

In August of 2012, Fort Wayne Community Schools auctioned off the furniture and equipment in the building. I made this photograph in one of the classroom on August 24, the day before the auction, when the school was opened for auction attendees to preview the items that would be sold the next day. A math teacher's last lesson is still there on the blackboard.

I have four other photos taken that day at the school, which I'll post soon.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

These are the American flags that hung in every classroom. They, too, were for sale.

 

[nightlight]

Thanks for sharing your story and the pictures. Did/does the art teacher know that you are now an artist?

 

[FrankS]

Did you get any pictures of the Art Room, where it all started for you?

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Thanks for sharing your story and the pictures. Did/does the art teacher know that you are now an artist?

Yeah, all of us former art students keep in contact with Mr. Goss. He retired when the school closed, and had taught there for 50 yrs! He is still mad that they closed the school, he is in perfect health and did not want to retire! He's in his early 80s now. Peter and David Turnley also took photography from him, but they graduated the year I was born, so I have never met them.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Did you get any pictures of the Art Room, where it all started for you?

No, unfortunately, it was locked up.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

The main gym. This gym, plus the second gym, the cafeteria, several classrooms, and several hallways were all full of stuff for sale. They were closing up for the day and had just turned out the main lights in the gym when I made this photo.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

This was the last American flag still hanging in a classroom. The rest of the school's classroom flags were piled up for sale on a table in the other room through the open door.

 

[jwicaksana]

Cool story and images! Thanks for sharing.

 

[MickH]

Interesting that it seems that each classroom had its own flag. Is that normal practice across the US, or particular to that specific school?

 

[zauhar]

Outstanding photos, Chris. Must be painful to see your school closed, sounds like a place with good memories.

Randy

 

[Rayt]

Interesting that it seems that each classroom had its own flag. Is that normal practice across the US, or particular to that specific school?

When I went to public school in the US (The Garden State to be exact) we stood up every morning and pledged our allegiance to the flag. Yes there was a flag in every classroom.

 

[robert blu]

Beautiful photos Chris. But there is a sadness behind this. The place of your artistic birth closing. You have been lucky that you met a good teacher able to understand you. This is the good part of the story.
robert

 

[Pastor Chris]

Nice combination of photos and story, as always Chris. This could have been any of our high schools, in a way. Well done.

 

[MickH]

Thanks for enlightening my darkness Rayt.

Very poignant photographs Chris... I forgot to say this in my earlier post.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

When I went to public school in the US (The Garden State to be exact) we stood up every morning and pledged our allegiance to the flag. Yes there was a flag in every classroom.

I did too in elementary school, but we didn't do the pledge of allegiance in middle school or high school. The classrooms still had the flags in all the schools, though.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

This is the last one. I made this one as the lights were being shut off, right before they locked the doors. This is the "Band Hallway," so named because all of the marching band members had their lockers in this hall, which runs past the entrance to the music room. The band room doors are in the dark alcove on the right. My locker was in the lit up part of the hall.

 

[farlymac]

Great photos, Chris. In my hometown of Greensburg, they tend to recycle the school buildings. My Mom's high school was the junior high when I went there, then became an elementary school, and is now apartments for senior citizens. The high school I attended is now the jr. high. They built a new elementary school behind the current high school, and then turned the old elementary building into the new City Hall. Change goes on.

PF