Welcome To The Demolition Of Queen's Ward School!

Welcome to my blog chronicling the demolition of Queen's Ward School, a public elementary school located in Paris, Ontario.
The actual demolition date had been vague at best. This, coupled with freezing temperatures during the week that the demolition took place resulted in my coverage of the demo action being less thorough than I had preferred! I decided to post a blog covering the demolition just for fun. At the same time, although Queen's Ward was merely an elementary school, it was still a piece of Paris history, albeit a minor one.
As I receive photos and history about the school, I will add them to my blog. Do you have any photos or historical facts of interest? If you do, you can contact me through the "comment" link on this blog.
I got involved with blogs and demolitions last June, 2010 when forty-one buildings were demolished on the south side of Colborne St. in downtown Brantford, Ontario. Over the course of fifteen and a half weeks, I became obsessed with the demolition of those old dilapidated buildings that had been the blight of downtown Brantford for too many years.
If you are interested in viewing this blog, here is the name of the site:
www.colbornestdemobrantford.blogspot.com
Elizabeth Heinbuch-Daughen

The Eastern Side Of The Property!

Someday soon the Retirement Community will appear on this property. Let's hope that this will be a classy looking place!

Sunday January 16th, 2011!

Another week went past. Everything was gone! The only evidence that any kind of building was ever on this property was a pile of small boulders. The blanket of snow hid any other evidence that may have still been present.

Welcome To The Demolition Of Queen's Ward School!

Welcome to my blog chronicling the demolition of Queen's Ward School, a public elementary school located in  Paris, Ontario.
 I missed some of the demolition action, but I just did this for fun anyway.
I intend to add more old photos and history about the school over the course of February, 2011. Check back and see what I end up posting. If you went to this school and have any photos or history that I can use, please contact me through the comment link.
If you are interested in viewing another demolition blog, please view my other blog which chronicles the demolition of forty-one buildings in downtown Brantford, Ontario. This took place over the summer of 2010. I have some great photos, history and comments!
 The address is:
www.colbornestdemobrantford.blogspot.com

So, What Is Next!

Queensview Retirement Community is slated to be built on the school property. According to the sign, there will be retirement apartments and lifestyle services available. Although this will be situated on busy King St., this is still a nice piece of property. The rear is surrounded by woods. When the leaves are absent from the trees, you can see down the Nith River Valley and a good deal of the town of Paris. This community will be a lovely little place to live. 

Take A Good Look!

This photo is looking eastward. You can see the crane at the very back in the middle of the photo.

The Crane Is Parked. The Job Is Almost Done!

The crane and the two dumpsters were parked on the easternmost part of the school property. By the end of the following week, everything was gone.

Another Perspective From Across King St.!

This photo shows where the entrance into Queen's Ward used to be. The tree in the foreground was in front of the classroom at the far right of the school.

Another Look At The Rubble!

Those are steel beams at the far right. The rubble behind the bricks are pipes, etc. from the heating and water systems.

So Much For The Boys' Side!

Did you ever think that there were that many bricks in the school!

Where Did Queen's Ward School Go!

Well, that's it! Everything was flattened by the end of Friday. All that was left were piles of rubble.

Sunday January 9th, 2011!

A Last Look At What Is Left!

This is a photo looking east. The remainder of what is in this photo was taken down in the afternoon on Friday January 7, 2011. This was a quick and easy demolition that lasted a week. Don't misunderstand, I'm sure that the Demo Guys had problems present themselves!

A Scene From Behind!

This photo was taken facing east. The wall at right is the office wall. The crane is taking down the remainder of the Girl's Washroom.

The End Of The Janitor's Room!

The part of the school that you can see at right is where the Janitor's Room was. The entrance from the playground and the main hall is in the middle.

A Scene From The Other Side!

The nice Demo Guy operating the crane let me take a brick on Thursday. He told me that I was the fourth person to ask him for a brick that day.

Demo Dog With His Shovel At The Ready!

Demo Dog tried to pitch in to no avail. He had to go home with no job again. This is my blog. I can put as many photos of my dog in it as I want! That's Demo Dog's Daddy, my husband, Dennis.

Demo Dog Out Seeking A Job!

After the demolition of the south side of Colborne St. was over in September, 2010, Demo Dog was sent out with his tools and resume to seek new employment. This was how he hunted for a job. It turned out that he  spent afternoons over at his girlfriend Kya's sitting around in her yard. No wonder he never came home with a new job last fall!

Demo Dog Looks For Another Job!

In case you haven't followed my blog chronicling the demise of the south side of Colborne St. in Brantford, Ontario, this is Demo Dog. He became a minor celebrity during the summer of 2010. The Demo Guys all got to know him over the course of the summer. When the demolition was over, he was told to look for another job. Of course, Demo Dog managed to time arriving at the Queen's Ward Demo Site on the last day of demolition. He was really disappointed that there was no work for him!

What Happened To The School Name!

I hope that someone had the foresight to save the name engraved over the school. It would be a shame if it wasn't! I bet that there are bunches of us who would love to reminisce about those wonderful schooldays all of those years ago!

One Last Look Into The Office Window!

It is amazing how the windows stay intact while the demolition goes on around them. It makes you wonder whether you really have to be so careful when handling glass after all.

There's A Crane In The Hall!

Did you ever think that someday there would be a crane just outside the office in the hall? I don't think that Mr. Cooper would have let that happen when we went to Queen's Ward. He ran a pretty tight ship.

Another Freezing Cold January Day!

I almost froze my hands off taking these photos.

The Crane Is Gutting The Boiler Room!

The crane pulled out all of these interesting looking pipes, etc. from the boiler room. This was known as the Janitor's Room when I attended school here. Mr. Smith kept all of his janitor stuff in this room.

Friday January 7th, 2011. The Sun Is Out, The End Is Near!

The sun was shining brightly on Friday. The debris was piled up ready to be taken away. This is the west side.

Hey Sandra! Our Classroom Is Empty!

This is a close-up of what was left of my  old grade six classroom. There were chalkboards on the two walls shown. Of course, back in my day, there was always a great big world map tacked up on a wall too. Gus over at the Olde School should hang on to those globes that he has. I don't suppose that classes even have globes anymore! Kids likely don't even know what a globe is.

No More Desks, No More Chalkboards!

Don't ask me how I got a close-up photo like this one. Notice to the right how the gym and the rear classrooms are gone!

A Close-Up Of The Office Entrance!

There was nothing left behind the office door!

That's All!

There wasn't much left of the little school.

Look At Those Jaws!

These cranes are really amazing to watch!

A Side View Of What's Left!

The fence surrounding the demo site was five feet high.

The Office Is Still Intact!

This is where the office was situated. The Principal's Office was to the right. Mrs. Barlow, the secretary sat in this office and typed all day. I think that the office on the left was for all of the other teachers to use.

The Debris Is Neatly Piled!

If you haven't followed a demolition before, one thing that you learn is how the demolition crew keep things as tidy as possible. There was a little Bobcat Operator who separated and piled debris as the crane brought down the school. This is the west side of the school.

The Boys' Side!

The western side of the school was the boys' side back in the 1970's. There was a baseball diamond in this area. I remember that Steve Kempert could hit the ball so hard that it would go flying over King St. to a neighbour's lawn on the other side of the road. Always being a great athlete, I got picked for a team close to last choice.

The Rear Of The School Is Already Gone!

The two classrooms at the rear of the school, behind the gym were already demolished. Because of safety rules, there was no getting any closer to the demo action. The demo fence kept any spectators on the sidewalk, well away from any danger. I attended the demolition of the south side of Colborne St. in Brantford, Ontario during the summer of 2010. I was already well versed on staying behind demo fences!

A Close-Up Of The Remaining Classroom!

The doorway out of the classroom can be seen at the far right in this photo.

That's My Old Grade Six Classroom!

The classroom at the far right of Queen's Ward was long gone by the time that I arrived. This photo shows my old grade six classroom. It was attached to the Principal, Mr. Cooper's office.

The Demolition Is Well On It's Way!

The demolition began bright and early on Tuesday January 4, 2011. I never arrived on the demo site until Thursday afternoon. I dropped by the school at least once per week, starting around the first week of December, 2010. Nothing was happening! Unfortunately, I missed a lot of the demo action.

Grade Six, Sept. 1971 - June 1972!

So just be glad that we went to Central School in Paris for Grade Seven and Paris High School for Grade Eight! I don't think that anyone is proud of those grade school photos. Once again, I am the tallest girl at 5'7", although Gail was only an inch shorter, thank goodness. I'd like to point out here that I wasn't taller than everyone else because I had failed a grade at some point. I was just tall for my age! Poor Mr. Cooper & Mr. Carroll had two grade six girls that were taller than them. Ha! Ha!

More Humiliation! Grade Five, Sept. 1970 - June 1971!

You can run, but you can't hide! Here is the Grade Five Photo. My Mom made the jumper outfit that I'm wearing here. I loved it! Thank Heavens for Grade Sixer Sherry. She was a bit taller than I was and so I didn't sit in the middle for once. I am already 5'6" here!

Grade Four, Sept. 1969 - June 1970

Okay, this is my blog after all! It has been a million years ago since we all looked so pitiful. It's time to get over it! Quite frankly, Kathy, Sandra, Pam and Susan, I think that we look fine and so do the grade three girls. This was a time when the kids who lived below Church St. and Main St. hills attended South Ward School on Ball St. from Kindergarten to Grade Four.  That is why this class is split into two grades. We were the only grade threes and fours who lived above the hill!

The Grade One & Two Classrooms!

The Grade One & Two classes were located at the rear of the school in the 1970's.

This Is A Pretty Piece Of Property!

The property where the school had been located is a really pretty piece of land. Besides the traffic noise from King St., the rear of the property is quite scenic. The woods lead down to the Nith River and Lion's Park. The bus students were the only pupils who were allowed to stay for lunch. Although it seems to me that sometimes other students managed to stay as well. Oh yes, the kids from Curtis Ave. got to stay too. I'm pretty sure that they walked to Queen's Ward everyday. Yes, that's right, Curtis Ave. is on the other side of the High Level Bridge! On nice warm days, we would sit out behind the school and have a bit of a picnic at noon. I remember one of the first times that Doug & Annette Knill stayed for lunch. Their Mom sent a thermos with a couple of weiners & hotdog buns for their lunch. Everybody who had been taking sandwiches for years knew right away that these kids were townies previously!

Remember The "Girl's Side!"

Way back in the 1970's when I attended elementary school, the boys and girls were separated on different sides of the school at recess. It seems to me that in grade six the rule was eliminated and everyone played wherever they wanted to. I was a bus student, as were the Knill kids who I waited with for the bus everyday. I remember vividly being dumped off in the parking lot bright and early, long before the school opened. We froze our rumps off waiting for the 9:00 a.m. bell when we could finally enter the warmth of the school. We weren't allowed in the washroom either!

INTRODUCTION - JANUARY, 2011

This is Queen's Ward Public Elementary School located on King St., in Paris, Ontario. The demolition began the first week of 2011. The facade with the old school's name had been removed at some point in the fall. I started attending Queen's Ward in January, 1970 and "graduated" from grade six in June, 1972. I was the first rural student to attend the school. Because the last of the baby boomers were in elementary school, the rural Bethel School was past it's capacity. In September 1970, all of us who lived on Hwy. #2 as far as Falkland and the Cleaver Side Rd., had to attend the town school. Being a newcomer to the area just prior to the change, it was decided that I would walk down Hwy. #2 to Queen's Ward for the remainder of my grade four year. I could regale you with my tales of dashing into the ditch in order to miss being hit by the snow plows who would fly past me on snowy days. I could tell you about the times where I was propositioned by dirty old men who would stop and ask me if I wanted to go to Woodstock with them. This was the Trans-Canada Hwy., for heaven's sake! The most heart breaking episode, however was when I dropped my Valentine's sucker in the dirty snow. I found it later in the winter during a mild spell.