Wednesday, June 18, 2008

DAYTON — The former Patterson Cooperative High School is scheduled to slip into history today, June 18, as demolition begins on the building.

Dayton school officials said the demolition is slated to begin at 10 a.m. on the building at 118 E. First St. The building, which opened in 1954, has been vacant since it closed in June 2001.

The district will not rebuild on the First Street site.

As part of its construction program, Dayton Public Schools is opening seven new schools — three schools opened in the 2007-2008 year: Rosa Parks PK-8 School (October), Thurgood Marshall High School (January), and Stivers School for the Arts (February).

DPS will open seven additional new neighborhood schools in the 2008-2009 school year: Ruskin, Louise Troy and Westwood preK-8 schools in August; Kemp and Horace Mann preK-8 schools in October; and EJ Brown PK-8 School and Dunbar High School in the winter of 2008-2009.

A local issue provides the local 39-percent share for building demolition and construction. The state funds the remaining 61 percent.
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Former Patterson Co-op school to be razed, used for parking
City backed out of plan to buy site for $5M; school was brainchild of NCR founder.
By Scott Elliott Staff Writer
Thursday, May 22, 2008

DAYTON — The former Patterson Co-op High School will be torn down in June and the space is expected to be used for parking.

The school, at 118 First St., closed in 2001 at the urging of then-Mayor Mike Turner, who proposed that the city would buy the property for $5 million so that it could be developed or resold to be used as part of RiverScape.

The city signed a deal to buy Patterson but never paid any money and later asked the school district to release it from that obligation.

John Carr, the school district's construction chief, said parking was the preferred short-term use for the site after talks with the city about its future. City spokesman Tom Biedenharn said the hope is to develop the site, but for now parking will help serve that part of downtown.

The building's June demolition will likely follow the razing of Roosevelt High School on West Third Street, which is expected by month's end.

Construction on the Patterson building began in 1952 and was finished in time for the 1954-55 school year, according to historical accounts.

Patterson was the brainchild of a committee of industrialists led by NCR founder John H. Patterson, who approached the school board in 1912 with the idea to combine skilled crafts with secondary education. That led to the Trade Extension in 1913 and that became the Dayton Night School, according to historical accounts. The Dayton Cooperative High School, housed at first in Stivers High School, opened in the fall of 1914.

Carr said there is not a plan right now for a community walk-through for the building, as the district has done with other schools. He said he was approached by alumni about such an event but they never followed up.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2485 or
selliott@DaytonDailyNews.com

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