This is the original pillar that is backstage in the current High School Auditorium that is believed to be remaining from when that space was a gymnasium in the original building. The pillar, like the back wall of the auditorium, features names of students involved in HF-L high school drama shows and musicals over the years. Photo taken by Bob Fussa
BY DEB AND TIM SMITH
This week we are going to continue a theme introduced in the previous issue of the Sentinel. We are sharing some interesting twists that have come up in connection with 2024’s HF-L Capital Project Phase 3B renovations. Last week we reported on a student’s wallet that was lost back in 1976 and rediscovered only last summer when a wall in the boys’ locker room was torn down.
Our next topic to tackle is the tale surrounding the stage area in what is now referred to as the B-wing auditorium. That facility was actually the primary HF-L auditorium prior to 1996 when the new District Auditorium was constructed, as an addition to the Middle School.
Another component comprising the district’s newest renovation is a makeover for the backstage area and surrounding hallways where an ever-expanding mural of theatrical artwork has come to adorn the rear walls and ceiling tiles. Some of the oldest creations are dated back to the 1960’s.
Our HF-L contact for this project, and the man who brought these stories to the Sentinel’s attention, was Bob Fussa, the school’s Director of Facilities, Capital Projects, Safety & Security. Regarding the plethora of artwork and graffiti, in Bob’s words it was “time to start fresh.” In discussing this part of the school building, Bob had told us that the oldest building on the HF-L campus, the original high school which faces East Street, had been built in 1927.
Also, rather intriguingly, Bob told us that the stage area we discussed above had originally been the gym and served as such until 1950 when the current B-wing gym was constructed. This led to a Q & A that contains some facts we thought Sentinel readers would find interesting.
Tim & Deb’s question: You mentioned that when the oldest part of the campus was built in 1927 the space that is currently the B-wing auditorium was originally the gym. We’re curious as to how that was configured. Was the basketball court parallel to East Street or perpendicular? Where were the locker rooms?
You gave us 1950 as the year that the gym was renovated into the auditorium. So would it be a correct assumption that the sloped seating area was created at that point? And that question spins us off in a new direction.
At one point in the late 2010’s we started to write a piece about the concept of bomb shelters in local schools. When we were in the research process, Bob Palmer, who worked for HF-L buildings and grounds for decades, took us down to the area underneath the current auditorium seats which, at some point, had been designated as a potential bomb shelter had the need arisen.
It was a very funky entry process. We went through a storage closet on the east side of the auditorium and then had to slide between some metal railings to actually enter the bomb shelter area. Some of the HF-L teachers had signed their names on the wall. It definitely was not designed for easy access.
But the fact that it is even there is kind of interesting. We were wondering if you had any other thoughts or information on that space and could help us connect the dots on that 1950 construction project and how the gym was converted into an auditorium.
What can you tell us about all this?”
Bob’s answer: “Very little is known about the old 1927 building. While planning this current project, our architects along with our Facilities folks did a lot of investigation to try to find original moldings, flooring etc. in order to try to re-produce original details in the newly renovated spaces. For example, the new windows that will be installed in the original structure portion of the building were designed to be historically accurate and look like the original windows, from pictures of the building that were found at the Honeoye Falls – Mendon Historical Society. All that I know about the original gymnasium in the area that is now the auditorium is that there is a pillar still visible in the backstage area, that I was told was part of the original gym.
As far as the area underneath the building that you were describing, many pipes run under the building in what are called “pipe chases”. That area may have been designated as a bomb shelter at some point, it is interesting that some people may have found their way down there over the years. That area is really not meant for anyone other than maintenance employees and engineers at this point. Also, you may be interested to know that we will be filling in what was once the old “orchestra pit” in the auditorium in this project.
I wish I could be of more help with information on the original layout and details of the original 1927 building, but like I said, many of those details have been lost over time. “
Bob closed by telling us that, “Just a reminder that phase 3C of this capital project will be getting underway, hopefully as soon as this upcoming spring/summer (2025). That phase of the project will see work at Lima Primary, Manor Intermediate, and the Middle School.”
