The Emerson School Property Part 3: The Annex

It had been proposed to build the new high school unit on Normal Avenue, but in the end it was decided that the new building would be built on the same property as the old high school and used in conjunction with the original building. The city allocated $150,000, about $2,325,000 today, to building the new facility next to the existing high school with the intention to alleviate overcrowding. Bids for construction opened in April 1922.

Designed by Milwaukee architects Robert Messmer and Brother, the new high school unit was to be built on the East Avenue side of the property. The modern building would include a large gymnasium and spacious auditorium that could seat up to 1,500. Ironically, much like its predecessor, completion of the building was held up in when a train carload of bricks was lost in transit forcing the school board to abandon hope of having the building ready for spring semester. But as completion neared in June of 1923, the first event was held in the new auditorium, a popular operetta of the time, “In Old Louisiana.”

The Annex Building circa 1923, Author’s personal collection

The new unit, colloquially referred to as “The Annex,” connected to the old building through a short corridor. During construction the temporary building was moved to the Reserve Street side of the property and connected to the original school through a longer corridor. Sources mention the barracks being used as a construction office, but newspaper accounts explain it was brought in as additional classroom space before construction began. All three buildings together were referred to as Emerson School.

Overcrowding in the school continued as Stevens Point’s population swelled. Almost eight hundred students attended the city’s high school in 1929. Quite a bit more than the 277 when the original facility had opened in 1893. With WPA funding, PJ Jacobs High School opened its doors to students in 1938. After construction, it was decided that the new building would be used as a four-year school, instead of the three-year school as originally intended. Lockers had to be moved from the Emerson building to the basement of PJ Jacobs to accommodate the freshmen moving to the new school along with the rest of the upper classes.

The auditorium in the new Annex building packed with students, circa 1936, a few short years before PJ Jacobs was built. A similar photo, angled to the right, shows students overflowing and filling the aisle all the way down to the front and more students peaking through stuffing hallway windows.

That fall, the Emerson Annex began to be used solely as a junior high for seventh and eighth grades housing up to about 250 students. Following earlier plans, about 100 students from the vocational school moved into the original 1893 structure. Equipment was moved from the downtown location and a welding unit was set up in the basement. At some point, the city’s special education classes began to be held on the third floor. Technical education classes for high school students remained on the property as well. The barracks building was used for printing and metal sheeting classes.

All three buildings circa 1925, Photo Source Terry Kawles (PCHS/UWSP Archives, not confirmed)

Safety concerns were brought up the winter of 1953. A group of concerned citizens criticized the outdated original building and the aging temporary barracks. Complaints were made about the restroom facilities, open wiring on wood walls, crumbling brick, dangerous fire escapes, and the leaking roof. The interior of the building was wood and the exterior brick with few fire-safety precautions. One of the biggest hazards mentioned regarded the welding department in the basement with the third floor being used for the special education department. The group lamented that the situation was a disaster waiting to happen. Reminders of previous school fires were mentioned.

Discussions began in relation to moving the vocational school, tearing down the old buildings, and leaving the Annex to be used as a junior high. Talks went on for years of how to handle the vocational school situation. During this time the original school structure and barracks remained in use. Eventually it was decided to build a new vocational school. When it was completed, the brick 1893 building and the 40-year-old temporary structure would be demolished.