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Everything Old is New Again

Original Release: 9/1/2021

By: Deb DiLillo Betz '76, Editor, Brush Alumni Association Email Newsletter Charles F. Brush Alumni Association

As we move in to the third decade of the 21st Century, school districts throughout the Cleveland area are undergoing major renovation projects to update aging and outdated buildings.

North Olmsted High School, built in 1964 was demolished in 2018 to make way for a new building, modernized and ready for the future. In April of 2021, demolition began on the old Richmond Heights High School, original-ly built in 1921, as their students moved in to their new turn-of-the-century facility.

In the last edition of the Alumni Arc-Lite (Autumn 2020) we wrote about the work being done to renovate Brush High School and included some pictures of the project in process. Now, several months later, we can provide a glimpse of the finished product.

Brush High School, originally built in 1927, underwent multiple additions as the community expanded through the years, however the building was in major need of a facelift. Superintendent Dr. Linda N. Reid faced a dilem-ma while considering options as she kept hearing from alumni that we did not want to lose the beauty that is the front of our historic school, with the magnificent clock tower and beautiful stone monument. Adam Parris, the architect with TDA Architecture commented, "It's one thing to do a "renovation project" and just knock down part of the building, then rebuild it. It's a completely different task to reuse something that's existed for a hundred years." However, the district provided a clear vision and request to adapt our historic high school and renovate it for the demands of a modern educational environment. The result of the dramatic refresh is a "new, old building" that will serve our community and students for years to come.

Among the many changes was a reorganization of the athletic spaces, modernization of the student dining area, a transformed library/media center, a new and secure entrance and front hallway, and widened corridors. New wall graphics and furniture were integrated throughout the building. The result is a high school that maintains the in-tegrity and magnificence of the school we all remember but provides everything we would want and need for our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren as they pursue their education in to the 21st Century. (As you plan your reunions, be sure to contact the Alumni Association to arrange for a tour of Brush High School.)