Titusville School House - 1900

Titusville School House - 1900. Historic Titusville. "The residents of this town - especially those who have children - are deeply interested in the matter of good schools and suitable buildings..." , - East Coast Advocate, May 1900, Before City Hall was built, this site was occupied by early public schools. A traditional wooden schoolhouse, complete with bell tower, was constructed during the summer of 1900 to replace a structure on Tropic Street destroyed by fire. The new school was built for 175 pupils, 40 of whom were to be transported from Mims and LaGrange "comfortably seated" in a covered wagon. The wood frame schoolhouse housed the first Titusville High School., In 1916, a larger school was constructed of solid concrete. Completed in June 1917, the three-story structure contained 14 classrooms, a science laboratory, auditorium, and gym. Later, Titusville High was relocated. The school served lower grades, eventually becoming Bayview Elementary., The site was chosen in 1964 for City Hall, and the old school was marked for demolition. Aging, but mostly sound, the structure valiantly resisted when its time came. "The wrecking ball just bounced off," recalled one amused spectator.