Old School Square
Encyclopedia
Old School Square Cultural Arts Center is a historic area
located at 51 North Swinton Avenue in Delray Beach
, Florida
, United States
. It is built on the former site and former buildings of the now defunct Delray Elementary School and Delray High School, at the corner of Atlantic Avenue
and Swinton Avenue, anchoring Delray's historic downtown
shopping district. As of 2006, Old School Square comprises the Cornell Museum of Art & American Culture
, the Crest Theatre, a refurbished vintage
gym
nasium, and an outdoor entertainment pavilion.
in 1913, at the corner of Atlantic and Swinton Avenues. The school served grades 1–12. As the city's population grew, it became necessary for the school to grow, and Delray High School
was constructed on the same site north of the original Delray Elementary in 1925. Eventually, the city's population grew to the point at which these two schools were no longer sufficient and plans were drawn to build a new high school north of town, which became first Seacrest High School, and then Atlantic High School after the racial integration
in schools resulting from the civil rights movement
. Delray High's last graduating class was the class of 1949. When the new school opened, Delray Elementary expanded to fill both buildings on the old campus.
of the site was seen as a spearhead for the reinvigoration of the whole downtown area- which at the time had barely a 30 percent occupancy rate.
. By 1990, the first phase of the project was complete, as the Cornell Museum of Art & American Culture opened in the original Delray Elementary School building. Furthermore, the exterior renovation of the high school building was completed. Three years later, in 1993, the Crest Theatre opened for its first season
in the former high school auditorium, which had been converted and modernized into a modern professional venue
for the performing arts
. In 1998, renovation of the Crest Theatre was completed as the work on the classrooms was finished, and they were opened to the public.
As the first phase of a new 10 year master plan for expansion, an outdoor entertainment pavilion opened in 2002, complete with a concession building. Covered loggia
s enclose the grassy seating area.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
located at 51 North Swinton Avenue in Delray Beach
Delray Beach, Florida
Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 60,020. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is built on the former site and former buildings of the now defunct Delray Elementary School and Delray High School, at the corner of Atlantic Avenue
State Road 806 (Florida)
State Road 806, locally known as Atlantic Avenue, is the primary east–west highway of Delray Beach in Palm Beach County, Florida. Not to be confused with Atlantic Boulevard 15 miles to the south, Atlantic Avenue extends from US 441-SR 7 eastward to Ocean Boulevard just north of Highland Beach...
and Swinton Avenue, anchoring Delray's historic downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
shopping district. As of 2006, Old School Square comprises the Cornell Museum of Art & American Culture
Cornell Museum of Art & American Culture
The Cornell Museum of Art & American Culture opened in the former elementary school in the Old School Square section of Delray Beach, Florida in 1990. It features 6 exhibition galleries and an interactive children's gallery that focus on regional, national and international exhibits of fine art,...
, the Crest Theatre, a refurbished vintage
Vintage
Vintage, in wine-making, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product . A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certain wines, it can denote quality, as in Port wine, where Port houses make and...
gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium, and an outdoor entertainment pavilion.
History
Beginnings
The first construction on the site was the erection of Delray Elementary SchoolElementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
in 1913, at the corner of Atlantic and Swinton Avenues. The school served grades 1–12. As the city's population grew, it became necessary for the school to grow, and Delray High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
was constructed on the same site north of the original Delray Elementary in 1925. Eventually, the city's population grew to the point at which these two schools were no longer sufficient and plans were drawn to build a new high school north of town, which became first Seacrest High School, and then Atlantic High School after the racial integration
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
in schools resulting from the civil rights movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
. Delray High's last graduating class was the class of 1949. When the new school opened, Delray Elementary expanded to fill both buildings on the old campus.
Abandonment
As time passed, the buildings of Delray Elementary increasingly fell into disrepair, and the Palm Beach County School Board abandoned the campus in the mid-1980s. A new elementary school opened in the western part of the city in 1988, S.D. Spady Elementary School. A group of concerned citizens, led by members of the Delray Beach Historical Society, started an initiative to preserve and restore the buildings of the former Delray Elementary and Delray High schools. They recognized the cultural value of preserving buildings that had been an integral part of the city's history. More importantly, they saw the that the buildings possessed the potential to be transformed into a new cultural arts center for the area. Furthermore, the renovationRenovation
Renovation is the process of improving a structure. Two prominent types of renovations are commercial and residential.-Process:The process of a renovation, however complex, can usually be broken down into several processes...
of the site was seen as a spearhead for the reinvigoration of the whole downtown area- which at the time had barely a 30 percent occupancy rate.
Rebirth
In 1986, the 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) site was incorporated as Old School Square, Inc. Plans for renovation of the buildings commenced. In 1988, Delray Elementary was closed and the property was acquired by the city of Delray Beach. On March 10 of that year "Delray Beach Schools" was listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. By 1990, the first phase of the project was complete, as the Cornell Museum of Art & American Culture opened in the original Delray Elementary School building. Furthermore, the exterior renovation of the high school building was completed. Three years later, in 1993, the Crest Theatre opened for its first season
Season
A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...
in the former high school auditorium, which had been converted and modernized into a modern professional venue
Theater (structure)
A theater or theatre is a structure where theatrical works or plays are performed or other performances such as musical concerts may be produced. While a theater is not required for performance , a theater serves to define the performance and audience spaces...
for the performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
. In 1998, renovation of the Crest Theatre was completed as the work on the classrooms was finished, and they were opened to the public.
As the first phase of a new 10 year master plan for expansion, an outdoor entertainment pavilion opened in 2002, complete with a concession building. Covered loggia
Loggia
Loggia is the name given to an architectural feature, originally of Minoan design. They are often a gallery or corridor at ground level, sometimes higher, on the facade of a building and open to the air on one side, where it is supported by columns or pierced openings in the wall...
s enclose the grassy seating area.