TOUR LINK

On this coming Saturday, December 2nd, at 9AM, the Wellesley High School Preservation Committee will be conducting a tour of the interior of the1938 High School. The lobby, auditorium, tower, upstairs gymnasium, and classrooms with original architectural features will be visited and explained as integral parts of the architect’s vision for a high school that has become a source and symbol of educational excellence for generations of Wellesley students. We intend this tour to complement the one that was conducted last month on the exterior of the 1938 building and the grounds. More than twenty interested neighbors and residents were able to attend. All Wellesley people are invited Saturday to learn about the design and functionality of one of Wellesley’s finest institutions. Please gather at the High School lobby. Refreshments will follow the tour.

The Wellesley High School Preservation Committee also announces the launch of its website: www.savewhs.org. Besides the texts of our recent articles published in The Wellesley Townsman, the site includes a brief history of Wellesley High School; charts and site plans; and photographs of past and present architecture and landscape. Of special interest are links to descriptions of fifteen other high schools from across the country that have been preserved and restored with striking success. Our goal is to strengthen community support in the current building project for preserving and restoring the interior and exterior of the 1938 High School and also to illustrate how and why the 1938 building embodies the spirit of who we are, where we have been, and where we are able to go as a high school and as a community.

NOTE: A number of schools may serve as models for the kind of preservation and restoration we envision for Wellesley High School. One of these schools is Boston Latin on the Fenway. Interest has been expressed in visiting Boston Latin to see how the school has successfully integrated its historic building with accommodations that enable it to meet 21st century needs. If you are interested in joining us on this visit, please e-mail us at whspreservation@yahoo.com.