Notes from 10/1/2003

The Master Plan of 1937

The 1937 Master Plan did not have any specific program built into each building.  Although it had school cafeteria with a garden to the south of Building C (where Building B used to be), the school never was built that way.  The new library, on the other hand, is more or less placed in the similar area as the master plan.  The master plan followed more of a Beaux-Arts design, but the actual campus that was built resembled more of an art deco/modern style.

Building B

Due to the decision to demolish building B after the fire opened up a big opportunity.  The new design idea had to be presented to Jud Owens, Lew Jones, others from BUSD , parents, teachers, administrators, etc.  However there were not much problems that arose during this design approval process.  It was never planned to have an actual physical connection from building B to the natatorium from the beginning.  The bottom floor of building B was supposed to have storage rooms where they can keep pool supplies.  A pathway was proposed to connect the storage room to the natatorium which at that time had two entrances.  The upper floor had a breezeway that led to Milvia entrance from the new additions and to the courtyard.  So they were more of a visual connection.  Once the Building B was gone, the natatorium could be opened up to a landscape rather than a building.  ELS proposed completely opening up the natatorium to the outside instead of having an enclosure, but due to security and safety issues, the natatorium had to be closed up with large areas of glazing and one small door towards the southern end of the western façade.  Also, shading devices had to be placed to prevent direct sunlight.

MIG, who worked on the courtyard that replaced the building B, is the landscape architect for the district.  ELS and MIG made compromises on design issues.   

Susie Gooden, a former librarian and a parent of BHS student helped ELS with choosing library furniture.

For the interior of the new additions, there are 4 main parts in wood:  circulation desk, panels in student union, acoustic panel frames, and furniture in library.  Medium Cherry wood was chosen for the type of wood.