Seven tennis courts and a discus/shotput-throwing area look to be almost ready at 725 N. Central Ave. The new courts and field will be used by tennis and track teams from Denfeld, as well as physical education students and other community members.
Starting this week, Selective Focus is changing direction. Instead of variations on a weekly theme as before, we will be posting brief profiles of visual artists and happenings around the area. We start it off with a collaborative project between UMD students and elementary students.
Demolition has begun on the old Laura MacArthur Elementary School (aka MacArthur/West Elementary). The new school, which was built last summer, is visible in the background of the photo below.
As most people know, the southern wing of the old MacArthur Elementary School was built in 1915 as Denfeld High School. (The modern Denfeld opened in 1926 and the old Denfeld became West Junior; MacArthur was built in 1957; West closed and became part of MacArthur in 1983; MacArthur was replaced with a new building this past fall). The photo above is of the 56th Avenue West entrance to the old MacArthur, which has always been considered the back door.
An open house was held at MacArthur Elementary School yesterday as the last day of classes was wrapping up. I brought my camera on a final tour before the place is demolished and turned into a field. A new MacArthur is being built across the street from the original.
Do the kids pose with Blu-ray players these days?
For those of you without a roster: Sean Bigler (1979); Tony Brown, Tom Bunkers and Steve Elsmore (1980); Scott Rous, Dominic Jakubek, Jim Gannucci and Patric Doherty (1981); Richie Hennes (1982); Patti Puglisi and Amber Netzel (1983); Chris Vaydich, Matt Pfister and Jason Mahle (1984).
As you can see, this picture is dated 1919. The girls look to be of elementary school age, so maybe one of them is still around today.
The location of the picture is the old Denfeld High School on Central Avenue, which is now Laura MacArthur Elementary School. There must have been elementary classes in the old Denfeld, or these are just random kids from the neighborhood, because none of them look old enough to be in high school.
The old Denfeld/MacArthur building will be torn down after the new MacArthur is built, but hopefully the old house in the background will keep on keepin’ on.
A commenter to the post about the house being torn down for construction of the new Laura MacArthur Elementary asked the question, “Who is Laura MacArthur anyway?”
Laura MacArthur was an elementary and junior high school teacher and principal in West Duluth for over four decades.
Born in England, she came to the United States with her family at around the age of 10. She attended high school in Wooster, Ohio, and graduated from the College of Wooster.
She came to Duluth in the spring of 1896, where she was assigned to teach Latin, algebra and civics to ninth graders at Longfellow School.
This house at 738 N. Central Ave. in West Duluth was ripped down yesterday to make way for the new Laura MacArthur Elementary School. I think the new school will be great, and I have no particular reason to be sentimental about this house or any of the others on the block, but there’s something that punches me in the gut when I watch a house get smashed to bits.
