When Gale started writing about Parkview and said the top floor was condemned when she went there, that made me think of Wardwell School. It also had a condemned third floor when I went there. My, how history separates and comes out the same sometimes.
That being said, I googled Wardwell School and the above picture was found at the site for Emmett. I am pretty sure that Wardwell never looked that good. True, Wardwell was a three story brick building with a basement, however, I don't think the town fathers spent the coin for extras such as granite trim details,etc.
Wardwell sat on an entire city block where there is now the City Library, a savings and loan and a bank and a nice parking lot.
I was in the fifth grade by the time our much traveled family settled in Emmett.
Then Parkview contained 5 through 8 grade and lunch was served in the basement of Wardwell school. If you volunteered to work in the cafeteria (Which I did) you got free meals and let out of class a little early to walk three blocks or so to go work and eat.
The best thing about Wardwell were the emergency evacuation slides on each side of the building. Unfortunately there were locked doors on the slides so innumerable children could not play on them.
I also remember one time in the late 1960's after Wardwell was closed and prior to demolition,that the grounds were used for the carnival to set up for Cherry Festival.
I remember particularly that one of the rides swung the riders perilously close to the building what a thrill!
Now do any of my contemporaries let alone my family have any Wardwell memories?
5 comments:
I stepped inside the Wardwell building once in the 5th grade. I went with a Catholic friend to catechism. I was scared to death because there was a life size Jesus on the cross and his wounds appeared to be bleeding. I wasn't sure what I was going to see next. GC
You know I had forgotten that the Catholic church purchased the lot and must have used the lower portion of the building before subdividing the lot, selling it off in bits and making a bit of a profit. RIA
First grade at Wardwell, Mrs. Burkhart was a nice lady good teacher. Second grade we packed up and moved to Butteview, first time I ever rode a school bus, Oh and I got to carry the trash can.
Wardwell was closed and almost gone before I knew it existed. I recall a very large building but I was a very small child.
As mentioned above Wardwell as the elementary Catholic school when I was in grade school. I always thought it was kind of creepy and I don't believe that I ever stepped inside it. EJ
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