Mechanic Arts High School

For the former Mechanic Arts High School in Boston, Massachusetts, see John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics & Science. For the former Mechanics Arts High School in Buffalo, New York, see Hutchinson Central Technical High School.

Mechanic Arts High School was a high school in Saint Paul, Minnesota, which operated from 1911 to 1976. The school was part of the Saint Paul Public Schools district. Located near the Rondo neighborhood, it was a prominent school for Saint Paul's black students. ^[1]

Mechanic Arts High School
Mechanic Arts High School in approximately 1928
Location
Saint Paul , Minnesota United States
Information
Established	1911
Closed	1976
School district	Saint Paul Public Schools
Classrooms	34

History

Started as the Manual Training Program at St. Paul High School in 1886, the program moved to the former Madison Elementary School building as Mechanical Arts High School. Created in response to a need for graduating students to directly enter the workforce of a rapidly industrializing United States, the school was recognized as the "first high school in the Upper Midwest to combine manual training with traditional academic curricula" for its' first twenty years of operation (1896-1916).^[2]

Land was purchased in 1907 for the new Mechanic Arts High School building, and construction was completed in 1911. The former locations' land was sold and the building demolished in 1914 as part of the construction of the Minnesota Historical Society Building (renamed the Minnesota Judicial Center in 1992). In 1929, land was purchased for a new gym addition that was completed in 1930.

 

The Minnesota Judicial Center, built on the first location of Mechanic Arts

Due to a declining student population and the integration of schools, the last graduating class was in 1976 with the remaining students being consolidated between Washington Tech High School and Central High School. The building was next used to house the Open School as well as various learning centers developed to further integrate the student populous. These programs continued until the building was demolished in 1980.^[3]

The M Club, the schools' athletic lettermen alumni association, still meets annually, and has awarded scholarships to local-area students for the past 70 years.^[4][2]

Notable alumni

• Ray Jerome Baker, photographer and filmmaker^[5]
• Horace LaBissoniere, American football player and Minnesota politician^[6]
• Harry Blackmun, United States Supreme Court Justice^[7]
• Milton Halberstadt, photographer^[8]
• Arthur T. Gibbons, Minnesota legislator^[9]
• Phoebe Omlie,early female aviator^[10]
• Ervin Harold Schulz, Minnesota legislator^[11]
• Mabel Seeley, mystery writer
• Stanford J. Shaw, historian^[12]
• Joe Shiely Sr, construction contractor^[13]
• William Bushnell Stout, automotive and aviation engineer
• Roy Wilkins, civil rights activist^[7]
• Fredrick Arthur Willius, cardiologist

Notable teachers

• Mary Colter, architect and designer^[14]

References

1. Foundation, CultureBrokers; Paul.", Inc 2008 "Points of Entry: The African American Heritage Guide to Saint. "Education and Athletic Achievement". Saint Paul Historical. from the original on 2023-08-22. Retrieved 2023-08-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
2. Larson, John W. "'The Best School in the City' 1896-1916: Mechanic Arts High School - Its First Twenty Years" (PDF). Ramsey County Historical Society.
3. Sigvertsen, Jene T. (PDF). Saint Paul Public Schools. pp. 114–115. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-10-01.
4. Walsh, James. "Mechanic Arts alumni fight to keep St. Paul high school's memory alive: 'It was a special place'". Star Tribune. from the original on 2023-12-11. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
5. "The Ray Jerome Baker Collection Finding Aid" (PDF). MS 34. Kaua'i Historical Society Archives. March 1999. (PDF) from the original on 2015-12-26. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
6. "LaBissoniere, Horace C. (legislator profile)". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
7. Walsh, James (May 10, 2023). "Mechanic Arts alumni fight to keep St. Paul high school's memory alive: 'It was a special place'". Star Tribune. from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
8. "Oral history interview with Ernst Halberstadt, 1979 Feb. 16" 2021-10-25 at the Wayback Machine,Smithsonian Institution, Reference Department, Archives of American Art, Washington. D.C.
9. "Arthur Thomas Gibbons, Sr. - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present". www.lrl.mn.gov. from the original on 2023-12-11. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
10. Longden, Tom (2009-02-07). "Aviator Omlie soared to success". Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on 2009-04-23. Retrieved 2009-02-14. Alt URL 2018-02-18 at the Wayback Machine
11. "Ervin Harold Schulz - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present". www.lrl.mn.gov. from the original on 2023-12-11. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
12. Profile of Prof. Shaw 17 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Bilkent University. Accessed 9 June 2011.
13. Young, Robert O. (1952). America's Builders. Vol. 1 (1st ed.). 1121 West Seventy.Ninth Street, Los Angeles 44, California: Pepperdine College Press. from the original on 2023-10-03. Retrieved 2023-12-11.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
14. Allaback, Sarah (2008). The First American Women Architects. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press. pp. 64–65. ISBN 978-0-252-03321-6.