Salt Lake City, Utah has a rich tradition of high school and community life. One of the best known schools in the city is also famous nationwide. East High School will be 100 years old this decade, and the Leopards continue to build on a deep tradition.
Need for a New School
The Salt lake High School was established in 1890 in the downtown area of Salt Lake. At that time the population of the city was around 45,000. Over the next 20 years, the city’s population swelled to nearly 100,000. The decision was made to build an additional campus for the high school on the east side.
In 1912, the cornerstone was laid and within two years the magnificent new building was opened high on the hill at 1300 East and 800 South. At the time is was called the “most magnificent high school in America.” James Leslie Chesebro was its chief architect.
Amenities of the New Campus
The original building was equipped with a botanical conservatory, a hospital room, locker and rest room for the faculty, and even a subterranean rifle range. The school opened its doors to students for the 1914 school year. Two floors of the four-story structure housed a junior high school.
Within a few years, enrollment was soon great enough to require that the junior high school be moved to a separate campus. Later, in 1952, a separate field house was added, along with industrial arts classroom space. Several other additions were completed: a science wing in 1964, a vocational arts building in 1971, a larger auditorium in 1975, and a state-of-the-art gym in 1980.
Fire and Rebirth
The building was nearly destroyed in 1972 as the result of arson’s fire. However, the brick and concrete shell remained intact, and the Board of Education elected to restore the school. Seismic safety concerns, however, eventually led to the destruction of the original building. In 1994 demolition work was begun to make way for a new building. The science wing, vocational education building, and the 1952 field house were razed and a new four-story classroom building erected in their places.
On May 22, 1996, back hoes began ripping down the masonry walls of the original building that had stood for over 80 years. By the spring of 1998, the new facilities had completely replaced the old, and were formally dedicated.
East High in the Spotlight
East High has been home to many influential Utahns: Scott Matheson, 12th governor of the state, and his son Jim, sitting U.S. congressman; Jake Garn, U.S. Senator; motivator Stephen Covey; Russel M. Nelson, a Mormon apostle; comedian Roseanne Barr; Pulitzer Prize- winning author Wallace Stegner; and James Irwin, the eighth man to walk on the moon.
In 1996, East made national headlines when a controversy about gay student clubs arose. After a student founded the Gay-Straight Alliance, the school prohibited the club from meeting officially. Battle lines were immediately drawn, and outside groups argued both sides of the issue. Proponents of the club cited a federal law preventing schools from discriminating against certain clubs.
The school district reacted by banning all clubs not directly relating to the school curricula. Later that spring, the state legislature passed a bill prohibiting gay clubs in public schools. In 2000, the school board decided to let all non-curricular clubs meet on campus, extinguishing the national controversy.
High School Musical
More recently, East High School has been made famous nationwide by the Disney Channel’s, High School Musical, which was filmed almost entirely at East. The setting was changed to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the mascot to the Wildcat (East’s actual mascot is the Leopard). The school colors are red and white.
For decades, the “East Side School” served the upper and upper-middle class families of Salt Lake. In the past 25 years, however, demographics have changed in the city, and the district has realigned its high school boundaries to diversify the populations at all three of its schools.
East High School will celebrate its centennial year in 2014. Over the last century, the school has seen immense changes in its facilities, student body, and community. The East Side High remains a visible landmark in the city and a recognizable feature of its culture and lifestyle.
References:
Annual Report to the Salt Lake Board of Education 1910 - 1913, SL Board of Education (1920)
Eastonia 1950, East High School (1950)
Eastonia 1978, East High School (1978)
"Governor Dedicates New Salt Lake Edifice: Finest School in the World Opened" Salt Lake Telegram May 29, 1914.
McCormick, John The Gathering Place: An Illustrated History of Salt Lake City Signature Books (2000)
Urry, Herb Dust to Dust 1912 - 1996: The Original Salt Lake High School East Herb Urry (2000)
Richard Stowell - Rich Stowell teaches educational technology at the University of San Francisco and high school math at a charter school in Richmond, ...
