Se-lu 27, cafeteria sunporch edition
For no apparent reason (maybe just long sleep and cool weather) I was reminded of the complex architecture of Manhattan Junior High. I discussed it here a long time ago.

Today another odd aspect of the building zapped into the remains of my senile brain.

In the West wing, which had originally been the HS, the cafeteria and library were adjacent. The cafeteria was a big open room with a separate exit to the outside. The library was elevated above the regular floor by three steps, which meant that you had to open the door from the hall and climb a little inset stairway to the rather elegant wooden floor of the library. The wall between the library and cafeteria was not solid; it was mostly openable casement windows, again fairly elegant like a 1920s sunporch.

At the time I was desperately trying to survive gym class and bullying, so I didn't stop to wonder about architectural oddities. Now I have the leisure to think about it.

Libraries have a heavier floor load than classrooms, so an elevated and nicely carpentered floor should be exactly wrong. Libraries need quiet, so the openable sunporch wall into the noisy and smelly cafeteria is also exactly wrong.

Se-lu!

The cafeteria was originally the auditorium for the high school, and the library was originally the stage. The height and dimensions are just right. The sunporch windows must have been a sort of folding wall to allow separation when needed.

When the East and West wings were joined, the middle part included a much larger and more formal auditorium and gym, so the small version was no longer needed.

= = = = =

Note after looking at the diagram in earlier entry: The external cafeteria shown on the diagram was built in '62, between my 8th and 9th grade years. The internal cafeteria described above was then turned into a study hall, which probably made the library quieter. All of this was basically pointless because students rarely got a chance to USE the library. You had to acquire a special pass from the teacher, which almost never happened.

Labels: se-lu

  ¶ 4:59 PM