On this week's podcast, we're going on a particularly rare and timely tour of an 1870s Racine school building, which will be razed in the coming months.
Franklin School on the city's south side will be replaced with a new building for Red Apple STEAM school, expected to open in 2023. Meanwhile, crews are readying Franklin for deconstruction, which not only includes the original 1870s school house, but also a 1921 addition.
"Of course, the problem with many of these vintage buildings is that, while beautiful, sturdy and beloved, they're not always well-suited to modern instruction, modern building codes, modern accessibility laws, and modern renovation and maintenance budgets," writes Tanzilo in his piece at OnMilwaukee.
Tanzilo had the opportunity to go into the school's attic, where he found incredible 1887 graffiti and a portion of the building's original ornamental facade, preserved for decades.
Listen to the episode below, and visit OnMilwaukee for more pictures and history.
