St. Thomas' Parochial School

Ou the lst day of September, 1K84, griMiml wa brnken on the land owned by St. Thomas' (Cathoilc) Society in the 4th ward, for a new school imi 1. lintr. The land, conslsting of!30 feet front on Xorth street and running north 476 feet betweeii State street on the east and Klizabeth street on the west, liad been bouglit some time previou and paid for, and every ef fort possible had been made by the congregation to accumulate funds for the erection of a school building that should be alike an honor to the city and the pride of the parlsh. The basement was coinpleteil that (all, and there work stopped uutil the next season. wben the buildinj; was encloseil before winter set In again. Last spring the work of finishing the structure was commenced, and has been golng on ever since, being nov far along. It is hoed by the contractor to turn the building over entirely completed, by Sept. lst next. The lollowing diagram of the n'rst floor wlll give our readers an idea of the plan of the structure. GENERAL API'K ARANCE. Tlie building; is of brick, with cutstone dressing. It has a front on Elizabeth st. (and Statest, also) of 110 feet, and a south front of 51 feet. A tower rises on the south front to a heiglit of about 90 feet, surmountedy a plain gt cross. The roof is broken by gables and dormer windowa, and the seneral appearnnce s excellent. The work bas the appeanince o! beiug solid and substantial, with not 80 much attention given to ornanientation af to durability. The rooms on this floor are finished off with hard wood. The school rooms in red oak, the dwelling portion in sycamore, ash and oak. The tiiüsh ia rich. much pains having been taken in selecting material that had a handsome graln. It is ditticult to procure anj' wood that will excel oak for richne9s and beauty, and the worknien appear to have been very earef il 1, neut, and painstaklng in thelr labor. The lloors are ot oak also, mostly "2 inch, some 2LL and 3 inch. The windows are large, plentiful, and of modern design. The outer doors to each of the vestibules are doublé strength, solid oak, elabórate in design, with the very best of fittlngs. One of the doors in each instunce open outwarde, the other in, but so arranged that in case of a panic the slipping of a bolt will cause it to open out also. The stair ways all have lamlings half way up, with a direct turn in the steps, and are tiuished in natural wood wilh oil. The kitchen which is the last room in the nortli end of the building, with its accompauying pantry, is finished in Norway pine. The style of window and door casings thfoughout is what is turmed (uecn Anne. THE BASEMENT. All of .the purtition walls coinmenee (rom the ground, no of a necessity the basement is divided the same as the rooms above. The basement reaches well up above ground,the wiodows on the Mat slde coming nearly to the floor. The large east room will be used for the ebyal; the west room directly uncler tlie school room will be calli'd the pluy room, where snch pupils as are obligue! to bring their dinner witli theiu will be sent iliiiiuj; ihe noon hour, and wheiechildren can itiuue themselves whenever inclement weather shall preTent out-door pluy. The rear portioa will be utilized lor boiler, coal, and fuel rooms, domestic cellar, etc. There seeins to be a purpose for all the s pace - uone allowed t go to waste. THE SECOND KI.ÜOK. Going fiom the basement to the MOOftd story we llnd muoh the same arrangement as below, in the school building proper, except the eastern Inilf s vil tlirown into OBfl large room, which is lerincd Ilie assembly rooin, to be used for commencement occasions, recitals, exhibitions, etc. [t ÍH a laijfe, pleasalil, well-ligliUid audi toriiim, and ailmirably adapted for the jur.ose dcsignt'd, with ingress and e-jiess 'rom either end. Upon the west side is a arjíe school room, with cloak room as ühown in plan of tirst floor. All of the fecliool rooms have black boards upon tWO gides, made of piaster p.iris and cinient, covered withapreparation of slate. These ooms and adjoinlng corridors are all linshed in ash, with sugar maple Iloora. The dwellinp portion of Uil story Is occupied entirely by sleephipartments, the wood work bein{ Xorway pine. The door and wiudow casinga are of new design, and quite unlque, the flutlng and beadlng being conttnuou, iistead oihaviii the conventlonal square corners. TnK TniBD FLOORS. These will not be utillzed at present. The ceillnjta are tnuch lower, yet Hiere Í8 considerable jtood room to be used wlien necessary. Over the dwelling portion it bas been plastered and flnifhed otf Into one large and not unplea8nt room. TUK VIEWS to be obtainad trom miy of the second and third story windowsaresuch a lovers of a beautiful landscape wlU go into raptures over. But when you come to j;o up into tlie tower, uhore you can see away down to Oeddes.snd take in such a stretch of the Huron Valley as is to be found no where else in the entire windings of the Huron river, from its source to where it empties into Lake Krie, then words fail to picture out the scène. It must be looked upon to be appreciated. IHTERKSTING POINTS. It bas been the deaire of the society and its most excellent pastor, Hev. Fr. Fierle, to pay for everything hs the work progressed. This it has been impasible to do entirelj', and a small indebtudness will have to be met. The total cost in hard cash will notvary much from $15,000 for the building itselt. Then the steam heatinjf apparatus, boil ers, school furuishings, gas lixtures, etc,, are estimnted at $2,500. This is certainly not au unretisoiiable estiinate. Add to those rteures the value of the land, and it will be fonnd that a $5,000 propertv has grown out of a piece of land that a few years siuce was a drug in the murket at almost any pnce. The grounds were very uneven and uiuch grading, and filling in at the gouth end, has been necessary This luis been done wltli little outlay. Memberu of the parish have either come and worked themselvesor furnished a substitute, and tlms saved expending the society' tumi Rev. Fr. Fierle has been one of the active workers. He h.i .-( a noble examplu for liis tlock to follow. With piek and shovel he helped on the gradiug and with hcad and hand he lias assisted in all parts of the work. He gives all the time possible to spare from other duties. It is hoped to open the school on September lst. There will be Uve sisters engageil in teaching. The higher branches will be taught here, as well as uiusic, paintlng, etc., so that the studente heretofore sent to the Academy of the Sacred Heartat Detroit, (nonat Urose Point) and to Monroe, from this section, will hereafter be sent to this school. It will be a benefit to the city in tliis respect particularly, not only keeping students at home, but by calling tliem in from abroad. There is a little V shaped piece of land öetween the north end of this property and State street (owned by a non-resident) which will always be an eye-sore. It is valuele?s, and the man whoowns it ought to Ik: glad to {ive It to this ;ood purpose. Wlieu completed there will be few liandsomer, more complete, or better parochial schools in the stat-, ontside of Dttroit. Iu grading tlie giound-i a great lot of stone were found, in fact the top of the earth seoincd like a vast quarry. These stones were saved for future use and the entire pile is valueil at about $1.50. As Roon as this building is pail for, and the accumulation of the"church fmul " will warrant, tlie erection ol a new cliutcli editicfl will be ¦omiiieiuctl M the south end of the groumls, the editice to front on North strt-et, as at present outemplated. The stone and masón work w.is done by Alderman Timothy E Kcalinir, of the 4th ward. An inspt'ction will prove thal it ti it s been well done. The oarpentery, trom bsvanent iloor to the top shingleon tbe towcr, Iims been ánder the suTvisioti of A Merman Chus. A. Poland, of the Bth w;ird It is ¦ goMl idvei (MMiuMit for liiin. The painting, oil linisliin, etc, isbelng ione by J. Eister. The architect te Artliur Marshall, weD known to our pcoplc wbo was nlso the ;ti rhittct of Anu Albor's liaiidsomr msInilic ¦ bttlldlog. Charlle (ülisni will have his tonsorial parlors In the St. Jamo blodt, on Huron treet next door enst of Gibson's gallt-ry tluring the suinmer. He will have his old place b:ick when the building is reconstructed. 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