Save old Boynton Beach High School

Letters to the Editor
Palm Beach Post
August 19, 2015

Post wrong on Boynton’s 1927 high school: Save it, don’t demolish it -

I read with disbelief your editorial “1927 school, 2013 reality” about the old Boynton Beach high school, in which you strongly suggested that demolition would have to be an option if the city commission rejected the financing plan for the latest proposal. I found it even more difficult to accept after you mentioned other important structures such as the Harriet Himmel Theater and the 1916 courthouse that were saved in Palm Beach County against similarly difficult odds.

Even the rebuilt casino is, with the Cultural Council office and other community redevelopment agency projects, turning Lake Worth into a great town again, anchored by its history. Why can’t Boynton Beach be like Lake Worth or Delray Beach? Why must we tear down one of the three great historic buildings downtown? Because of a poorly conceived and expensive plan that would have ruined the historic character of the old high school and compromised the historic setting of the old elementary school/children’s museum?

This building is solid, with an easily reusable floor plan and a unique combination of early 1920s Mediterranean revival architecture and a touch of later 1920s Art Deco. This building could anchor the east side of Ocean Avenue by becoming part of a municipal or mixed-use project. Imagine an art center with facilities for seniors and children next door. Imagine it as part of a new city hall complex with the upper-floor gym restored and reused as the city commission chambers. Imagine the former classrooms on both floors available for retail, a coffee shop and community rooms

What potential there is for Boynton Beach to dream big with its new leadership. Instead, our community paper said, “Tear it down; it’s useless.” We should be saying: “Let’s do the most sustainable thing possible. Let’s reuse it and activate our rejuvenating downtown for the pride and joy of all our residents and visitors, and for future generations who would see this accomplishment and also learn about the early history of a great city in Palm Beach County. Let’s have a conversation with the community and not suggest demolition at this time.”

RICK GONZALEZ

West Palm Beach