1914 – William Whyte School, Winnipeg, Canada

Designed for 1,000 children and amongst the safest schools in Canada for fire when constructed. The architect J.B. Mitchell submitted a few articles on fire safety and design to journals during his career, as it was a particular expertise and interest of his. As a result, his Winnipeg schools were quite influential in school design across Canada. Demolished in the 1970s.

“Of these schools the William Whyte (while following the general principles of design described above) has several particularly attractive features. In plan it is practically rectangular, measuring 164 feet by 65 feet. The cornice at the attic floor level is 50 feet above the finished grade line. The three upper floors are faced with buff sand-lime brick of local manufacture, laid up in red mortar, and rest on a 9-ft. plinth of rock-faced Tyndall stone (in alternate wide and narrow courses) which forms the basement storey. All exterior walls are lined with hollow brick on edge, and are waterproofed below the grade by cement and “Ceresit.” Stone is also used for window sills, belt courses, and other exterior trim, in which capacity it harmonizes with the general colour scheme and relieves the monotony of any large wall surface. The pitch roof, which forms the attic, is bell-shaped, covered with gray asbestos shingles laid “diamond pattern” and finished with a substantial cornice projecting two feet from the wall.

The interior walls and ceilings are plastered and covered with waterproof paint on the upper floors. In the basement special damp-resisting paint is used.

The whole has an “egg-shell” finish. The ceilings are white, softened with the merest suggestion of green, so as to reflect the light without offending the eye. The upper walls are a light cream, and the dado, which is in constant danger of being soiled, is made quite dark — green in most cases. These colors were selected as being the most practical to use, in view of the danger of “burning,” which invariably manifests itself in new walls. The floors are light brown in the centre, with a border and base of rich warm red, which reaches up to the green of the dado. The rather dark fumed effect of the oak trim harmonizes with the general scheme.

In addition to the seventeen rooms where regular classes are conducted, there are special departments for girls, located on the third floor, where they do not interfere with the rest of the school, and where they are easily accessible to the older pupils and to pupils from outside schools. This special unit includes two domestic science kitchens of twenty-four tables each, equipped with individual gas cookers, besides gas and electric ranges, a large sewing room — including one hundred and twenty individual lockers, a demonstration apartment for instruction in household management, together with a laundry having twelve tubs, ironing boards, mangle, clothes drier, etc.

In accordance with the Board’s policy regarding the larger schools, a caretaker’s quarters has been provided on the third floor. This apartment has a separate entrance, and separate stairs, and is equipped with an electric clock, a telephone to the principal’s office, and a vacuum cleaner outlet similar to the rest of the building.”
Engineering and Contract Record, July 21, 1915

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