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Moore School Era Could Come To A Close
By
Jennifer Osborn
Back in 1923, its first year, the building now known as the Gen.
Bryant E. Moore School was Ellsworth High School. |
The Gen. Bryant E.
Moore School has been, at turns, a high school, middle school and
grammar school.
But the historic
State Street
building’s current time as a school for grades three through five
may be drawing to a close.
The structure does
not meet building codes or requirements for the Americans with
Disabilities Act.
Bringing it into
compliance would cost $1.8 million—or, nearly half what it would
cost to build a new school, according to the Old Town Engineering
firm Carpenter Associates.
Still, any
renovations would leave the school without a gymnasium. The site
already suffers from a lack of space for parking and bus unloading.
Carl Lusby, who has
been the
Moore
School
principal for the past five years, gives the building an “F” for
function, but an “A-plus” for sentiment.
“Warm, cozy and
full of character,” is how Lusby describes the building, which was
built in 1923.
A couple of
additions have changed the back of the building but the front façade
has remained the same through the years.
Of course, back
then, it was covered in ivy vines, according to Herbert T. Silsby
II, who was in the class of 1943.
Coming from a
one-room schoolhouse in
Aurora,
“I thought that was quite a marvelous building,” Silsby said.
“Everybody has such
fond memories of the front wing of this building,” Lusby said.
In fact, when Lusby
became principal, his wife’s grandmother told him about her
experiences as a member of the school’s first graduating class in
1924.
The phrase—“I
remember when…”—is often repeated these days when multiple
generations accompany children to evening assemblies at the school.
The school was
renamed in 1952 after Ellsworth native Major General Bryant E. Moore
died after a helicopter crash in Korea in February 1951.
That is the same
year that the building was transformed into a middle school and a
new high school (the current middle school) was constructed.
“It’s a beautiful
old building,” Lusby said. But, “it’s not a matter of if you get a
student or staff member with accessibility needs, it’s when. It’s a
serious issue.”
To that end, a
committee composed of city and school officials has been meeting for
about a year to assess each of Ellsworth’s five schools and come up
with a plan of action.
One of several
scenarios involves closing the Moore school and consolidating the
kindergarten through eighth grades in one new school.
The other Ellsworth
schools (excluding the new high school) need about $6 million in
upgrades to meet building codes and the Americans with Disabilities
Act.
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