Then and Now: New High School Plans

They say that time changes everything but, in some cases, the changes simply seem to go full circle. 

Take a look at this week’s “Then” photo of a conceptual design of what was, at the time, the plan for Wilmington’s new high school. The year was 1945 and, just like today, Wilmington was laying the groundwork for a brand new high school facility.

The property for the school, which was then referred to as The Roman Property,” had been purchased by the town in hopes of someday using it for a high school and athletic field. 

It was increasingly apparent that the Swain School was no longer enough to accommodate the town’s growing needs and, with World War II coming to an end, the time was undoubtedly right for Wilmington High School to expand into a new building.

Construction didn’t begin as fast as the community had hoped but, in 1950, the dream of a new High School became a reality. As with most projects the design changed quite a bit before the actual construction took place and, with several more additions added over the years, Wilmington High School barely resembles the original architect’s rendition. 

Today Wilmington is, once again, looking at plans for a new high school.  Much like the 1945 plan, today’s high school layout hopes to continue to use “The Roman Property” to create a more modern learning facility to accommodate our ever growing student community. 

A  will help . The goal is to begin construction in June of 2012 and have the new school ready to open it doors in the fall of 2014.