Blume High School
The former Blume High School is a historic building in downtown Wapakoneta, Ohio, United States. It was the first exclusive home of Wapakoneta High School. Prior to that time, WHS was housed with other grades.[2]
Blume High School | |
 Front of the school | |
   | |
| Location | 405-409 S. Blackhoof St., Wapakoneta, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°33′58″N 84°11′50″W |
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1908; 1923-25 |
| Architect | William M. Runkle; Frank L. Packard |
| Architectural style | Mixed |
| NRHP reference No. | 96000933[1] |
| Added to NRHP | August 22, 1996 |
The original part of the high school was built at a cost of $41,315. This original section was designed by local architect William M. Runkle. In the mid-1920s, it was expanded with the construction of a gymnasium, a library, and the "Red Brick Section" addition; while the last portion was built with money raised from bonds, the library and gym were financed with a bequest from L.N. Blume.[3]: 112 These additions were designed by Frank Packard of Columbus.[1]
Growth in the Wapakoneta City School District resulted in overcrowding by the mid-1950s.[3]: 112 After a series of failed attempts, the school board succeeded in winning voter approval for the construction of a new school in 1956, and the new Wapakoneta High School building, which today serves as the Wapakoneta Middle School, opened at the beginning of 1959.[3]: 113 Blume was converted into a junior high school for several years, but a 1988 vote resulted in the school's closing by 1990.[3]: 112
In 1996, the former Blume High School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its architecture.[1]
Notable alumni
- Neil Armstrong (1947) - NASA astronaut, first man to walk on the Moon
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- The 1916 Retrospect. Vol. IX. Wapakoneta High School. 1916. p. 7.
- Dahill, Harold. "Wapakoneta City Schools". Auglaize County Historical Society, ed. A History of Auglaize County Ohio. Defiance: Hubbard, 1980, 111-113.
