Building Maine West
The pictures below show some of the construction of Maine West starting in 1958 and stopping in 1960. The pictures come in three sizes. The small size pictures are about 150 kilobytes, the medium are about 500 kilobytes, and the large are about 2 megabytes. The large images will provide the best detail, but you will be able to see most everything on the smaller pictures.
Be sure to remove the automatic resizing of the image. There is no reason to wait for a larger image to download if your webbrauser reduces the size to fit a small window.
To understand at what you're looking, the pictures of the construction also have a diagram to give an approximate camera postion realative to the building. This is very important in the early construction pictures.
 | Small | Architectural view of the A-wing side of the front entrance. |
 | Small | Architectural Artist concept of the Auditorium |
 | Small | Architectural Artist concept of the Cafeteria |
 | Small | Architectural Artist concept of the original Library |
 | Small | Architectural Artist concept of the pool |
 | Small | Overhead View (1961 estimate) This view shows the original layout. Wolf road is two lanes. There is no stadium, just a set of small risers on the west side of the football field. All the trees and shrubs are very small. |
 | Small | First Snow (1961 estimate) A beautiful picture. Note the trees and the parked cars. |
 | Small | Breaking ground (July 22, 1958) Digging out the rotunda to get ready for the footings. This is viewed from the pool looking north. You can see the florist farms on the north side of Oakton and a farm on the south side of Oakton east of the school. |
 | Small | Rotunda Footings (September 4, 1958) Viewed from C-wing towards A-wing. You can see the footings for the main building. In the distance you can see the forms for A-wing foundation being set up. |
 | Small | A-wing Gym foundation (September 4, 1958) Viewed from the end of A-wing gym back towards the rotunda. The forms are being installed for the gym foundation. |
 | Small | A-wing Gym foundation (September 4, 1958) Viewed from the pool side of A-wing gym towards B-wing. |
 | Small | Rotonda Basement (The Pit) (October 1, 1958) Viewed from between A-wing and the pool. The area on the lower left will be a stairway to the pit from the girl's side of the pool. The crain is working in C-wing. |
 | Small | Pool area (October 1, 1958) Viewed from the future E-wing toward A-wing. The sloped ground is where the trucks and dozers entered and left the rotonda basement. This area will be dug out to make the foundation for the pool. |
 | Small | Rotonda foundation (October 1, 1958) Viewed from pool side of the future E-Wing toward B-wing. In the background is the Ben Franklin warehouse and the corner of Wolf Rd & Oakton St. |
 | Small | First Steel in the rotonda (October 31, 1958) Viewed from between pool on the left and E-wing on the right. In the distance you can see B-wing gym brick going. On the right are the foundations to C-wing and D-wing. |
 | Small | B-wing first floor cement (October 31, 1958) Viewed from A-wing to B-wing across Maine West drive. They are pouring cement for the first floor of B-wing. Also have the forms for the support columns started in A-wing and B-wing. |
 | Small | A-wing Columns (October 31, 1958) The first floor for A-wing has hardened and they are now working on forming the interior support columns. C-wing foundation is still taking shape in the background. |
 | Small | C-Wing 2nd Floor (December 5, 1958) The first floor of C-wing is hardened and the support columns for the 2nd floor are being built. At the same time the 2nd floor joists are going in along with the steel for the top of C-wing. |
 | Small | Auditorium Roof (December 5, 1958) Only half the 2nd floor rotunda steel is in, which allows room for the crain to lift steel to the auditorium roof. Steel floor joists and roof rafters can be seen lying in the indoor track area. (The Pit) |
 | Small | Brickwork on B-wing (December 5, 1958) Tarps are used to enclose work areas for the masons. Morter used on the bricks must be kept above freezing to ensure proper drying. |
 | Small | Rotunda Steel Complete (January 8, 1959) The rotunda's first, second joists and roof rafters are complete. With the crain now out of the way, foundation work on the pool can start. D-wing steel also looks complete. |
 | Small | A-wing Brickwork (January 8, 1959) The construction village looks cozy. A-wing gym's brickwork is complete and they've tarped other areas of A-wing to contiunue working on brickwork. Steel for the front entrance appears to be compete. |
 | Small | C-wing Roof (January 8, 1959) Crains lift cement buckets for the pouring of C-wing's roof. The steel for C-wing gym is complete and the rafters are being installed on the rotunda end of C-wing. |
 | Small | Pool Locker Room Floor (February 5, 1959) The floor of the pool locker room is poured and covered, to protect from the cold. In D-wing the boilers are installed and the walls are going up. C-wing roof appears to be completed. |
 | Small | C-wing Brickwork (February 5, 1959) Tarps cover the brickwork for C-wing. Cement trucks arrive to supply the masons with morter and for pouring the first floor rotunda. |
 | Small | A-wing Gym (February 5, 1959) The airducts for A-wing gym are being installed as well as the glass for the classrooms. |
 | Small | A-wing Roof (March 2, 1959) A-wing's tar has been poured, gravel placed to protect the tar and the edge flashing is now going on. The foundation for the pool wing is going up. |
 | Small | Windows for B-wing (March 2, 1959) The windows for B-wing are being installed. The mud, which will become Maine West drive, causes the school's first traffic jam. |
 | Small | C-wing Gym Bricks (March 2, 1959) The bricks are going up on C-wing gym. The rest of C-wing awaits glass installation. |
 | Small | B-wing Windows (April 1, 1959) The windows are being installed in the front of B-wing. The roof on A-wing is almost compete and the front entrance steel is in place. |
 | Small | C-wing Windows (April 1, 1959) The windows are installed in C-wing. C-wing gym still waiting for upper windows. |
 | Small | Pool Foundation (April 1, 1959) The pool foundation forms are in place. The Pit locker room and pool locker rooms still need to have walls. The boilers are installed in D-wing. |
 | Small | Pool Foundation (May 5, 1959) The pool foundation is now finished. The ouside walls to the locker rooms and showers are going up. Note air blowers up by the theater. |
 | Small | C-wing Enclosed (May 5, 1959) All the C-wing windows are installed. The Library, Teacher Lunch and Student Lounge outside walls are going up. |
 | Small | Front Columns (May 5, 1959) The front columns are now enclosed in cement. Roofing material has been brought up on top of the rotunda to start work on roofing the dome. |
 | Small | Pool Forms (June 2, 1959) The foundation to the pool is finished and the forms for the big pool are almost complete. The walls for the pool offices are going up. The stairs coming from the top floor to the pool balcony are in. |
 | Small | Rotunda Windows (June 2, 1959) The frames for the windows on the library and lounges are almost finished. Painting the outside of C-Wing. Roof on auditorium nearing completion. |
 | Small | Front Entrance Windows (June 2, 1959) The frames for the windows on the front entrance are almost finished. Scaffolding on B-Wing gym to paint trim by windows. |
 | Small | Teacher B-Wing Parking (July 3, 1959) The parking area off of Oakton St by B-Wing gym has its curbs and sidewalks poured. The frames for the lounge and library windows are complete and waiting for windows. |
 | Small | Bus Concorse (July 3, 1959) The rain protection for the students awaiting the buses are in. The sidewalks and curbs are poured. |
 | Small | MW Drive (July 3, 1959) Some curbs and sidewalks are complete. Some forms for the curbs on MW Drive are still not removed. All glass on the front entrance is in. |
 | Small | 1st Pool Arch (July 3, 1959) The pool foundation is complete along with the pool ouside deck foundation. The big pool appears to be in and the little pools forms are going up. Scaffolding for arch against the main building is in place. |
 | Small | Waiting on Lounge Doors (July 3, 1959) All the windows for the library and lounges are in. They are waiting for the doors to arrive to be installed. The downstairs C-Wing window blinds are installed. |
 | Small | Front Entrance Completion (August 3, 1959) The front entrance is almost complete. Maine West Drive and side walks are done and there are sprinklers on the ground to water the just growing grass. |
 | Small | Pool Roof Going On (August 3, 1959) The arches are up (held by scaffolding) and the roof is going on. The outside deck has been filled in. Note the roof will be self supporting. When the side walls are built they do not supply support. |
 | Small | Lounge Deck (August 3, 1959) The lounge deck has been been completed. The lights are going up and the gound has had it's final grading. |
 | Small | Pool Arches Form (October 8, 1959) The forms for the pools arches are in and the cement is starting up the outside. The roof is on and the outside deck has been poured. |
 | Small | Pool Arches (October 8, 1959) Checking the arch forms from the other side of the pool. As in the previous picture you can also see the scaffolding inside the pool. Once the Arches are complete the roof will be self supporting. |
 | Small | Pool Walls (November 6, 1959) The brick walls to the ouside of the pool are going up. Now waiting for the windows. |
 | Small | Pool Scaffolding (November 6, 1959) Viewing the pool from the A-Wing side you can see the internal scaffolding, which orignially held up the roof, is now coming down. Masons just starting the outside brick work on this side of the pool. |
 | Small | Pool Windows (December 8, 1959) The windows are now in and it appears, due to the tarps and scaffolding outside the south side of the pool that the masons are now working there. |
 | Small | Flashing on Pool Roof (December 8, 1959) This side of the pool is also complete. The main pool entrance is also complete, including the door. The workmen are on the roof working on the flashing. |
 | Small | Pool Interior (January 8, 1960) Masons have completed the ouside walls. The interior work is in progress. The celing is almost complete. The pool lights are in and the tile setters are getting ready to start work in the deep pool. |
 | Small | Pool Exterior (January 8, 1960) Awaiting the installation of the sliding doors on the south side of the pool. It appears that all external mason work is complete. |
 | Small | Proposal letter from Ken Olson to the Principal, Herman Rider, to build an obstacle course by the outdoor track in December 1963. |
 | Small | Obstacle Course being used by a gym class. |
