Blume High School, high school in Ohio, United States
Blume High School is a brick school building in Wapakoneta, Ohio, made up of sections built at different times by two separate architects. The original structure by William M. Runkle dates to 1908, while the later wings designed by Frank Packard added a gymnasium and library to the complex.
The building opened in 1908 and was expanded in the 1920s to meet growing demand for space. It later served as a junior high school after a new facility opened in 1959, then closed in 1990 and was converted into residential apartments.
The school takes its name from L.N. Blume, a local donor whose gift paid for the library and gymnasium added in the 1920s. Naming a public school after a private benefactor was a common way for small American towns to recognize contributions to community life.
The building sits on South Blackhoof Street and is now used as private housing, so the interior is not open to the public. The different construction phases are easy to spot from the sidewalk, since each wing shows a slightly different brick texture and window style.
Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon, was a student here before going on to become an astronaut. The hallways he once walked now belong to a converted apartment building, which makes the place easy to overlook on an ordinary street.
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