Emerson High School (Indiana)
{{for|the magnet school that currently carries the Emerson name but has relocated|Wirt-Emerson Visual and Performing Arts High Ability Academy}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox school
| name = Emerson High School
| image = Ralph Waldo Emerson School in Gary.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Front and eastern side of the school
| motto =
| motto_translation =
| address = 716 E. 7th Avenue
| city = Gary
| state = Indiana
| zipcode =
| country = United States
| coordinates = {{Coord|41|35|57|N|87|19|39|W|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map = Indiana#USA
| other_name = Ralph Waldo Emerson School
| former_name =
| type = Public high school
| religious_affiliation =
| established = {{Start date|1909}}
| founder =
| closed =
| district = Gary Community School Corporation
| us_nces_school_id =
| principal =
| teaching_staff =
| grades = 9–12
| gender =
| enrollment =
| ratio =
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| mascot =
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| publication =
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| footnotes =
| module = {{Infobox NRHP
| embed = yes
| name = Ralph Waldo Emerson School
| nrhp_type =
| area =
| built = 1908
| architect = William B. Ittner
| builder = E.C. Gerhard
| architecture = Tudor Revival, Jacobethian Revival
| added = June 9, 1995
| refnum = 95000702{{NRISref|2009a}}
}}
}}
Emerson High School was a public high school of the Gary Community School Corporation, located in a historic facility in Gary, Indiana, United States.
In 1981, Emerson closed as a high school. For approximately 17 years, the facility housed a performing arts magnet program, which has since relocated and is still in operation. The original Emerson High School facility closed in 2008 due to lack of funds and building dilapidation, including mold.{{cite web|url=http://sometimes-interesting.com/2013/06/12/emerson-school-of-gary-indiana/|title=Emerson School of Visual & Performing Arts|author=Sometimes Interesting|work=Sometimes Interesting|date=12 June 2013|accessdate=29 July 2015}}
History
Gary School Superintendent William Wirt used the Ralph Waldo Emerson School to be the first to use his new Work-Study-Play system of education, a "Whole Child" philosophy.{{cite web|url=http://americanurbex.com/wordpress/?p=1370|title=Emerson School|author=American Urbex|work=americanurbex.com|date=13 July 2011 |accessdate=29 July 2015}} This philosophy drew international attention to Emerson.
The building opened in 1909 and included an auditorium, gymnasium, pool, and even a zoo. St. Louis architect William Ittner designed the school. There were over seven laboratories, separate band and orchestra rooms, art studios, and rooms for industrial and household arts. Athletic facilities, advanced for their time, included an indoor swimming pool, and an upstairs running track.
In 1927, eighteen African American students were transferred from the Virginia Street School to Emerson due to overcrowding, and this decision precipitated the Emerson School Strike on September 26. By the end of the strike, about three-fourths of the students were boycotting. On September 30, people at a city council meeting made the decision to segregate the school again, eventually leading to the construction of another all-Black high school, Roosevelt High School.Gary Public Library and Rebecca Shrum, Discover Indiana, [https://publichistory.iupui.edu/items/show/605 “The Emerson School Strike of 1927 in Gary,”] Discover Indiana, accessed February 10, 2022, https://publichistory.iupui.edu/items/show/605 .
The facility closure was due to Gary Community School Corporation budget cuts and to severe mold issues.{{cite web|url=http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/wirt-high-school-closing-leaves-staff-athletes-feeling-lost/article_aedd552a-4149-52c9-b8c7-773943f4dcf1.html|title=Wirt High School closing leaves staff, athletes feeling lost|work=nwitimes.com|date=10 May 2009 |accessdate=29 July 2015}}
The building is on the National Register of Historic Places,{{cite web| url = https://secure.in.gov/apps/dnr/shaard/welcome.html| title = Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD) | publisher = Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology | format = Searchable database| accessdate = 2016-05-01}} Note: This includes {{cite web| url =https://secure.in.gov/apps/dnr/shaard/r/217fb/N/Emerson_School_Lake_CO_Nom.pdf| title = National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Emerson High School | accessdate = 2016-05-01|author1=Dharathula Millender |author2=Laura Bandy |author3=Suzanne Fischer | date=November 30, 1993}} and Accompanying photographs. but as of 2015, has been heavily vandalized.{{cite web|url=http://www.nwitimes.com/digital/photos/gallery-gary-s-closed-abandoned-school-buildings/collection_194f1dd7-fe03-5e8a-88ea-2fcdd446206e.html|title=Gallery: Gary's closed, abandoned school buildings|work=nwitimes.com|date=19 July 2015 |accessdate=29 July 2015}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{commonscat|Wirt-Emerson Visual and Performing Arts High Ability Academy}}
{{Gary, Indiana}}
{{Lake County, Indiana Schools}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Indiana}}
Category:School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana
Category:William B. Ittner buildings
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Gary, Indiana
Category:Educational institutions established in 1909