History
The Piedmont Press (now a defunct newspaper) April 15, 1976:
Piedmont Landmark Series Features A School Called 'Beach' That's Not Near the Ocean [But Faces a Lake]
Piedmont's Egbert W. Beach School may not front on any ocean — just a lake — (Lake Street, that is.) Also, contrary to common belief, it is not the first school built to accommodate Piedmont children.
Many residents of this city may not be aware of the fact that the first school building for Piedmont students was located on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland. Prior to its construction in 1881, a small group of Piedmont children had met on the ground floor of the home of Mrs. Raymond Hume. She was willing to offer the space and to contribute to a teacher's salary in order that her own three children could be educated locally. A second building on Piedmont Avenue-four rooms finished in 1891-attracted Piedmont's children by foot, horse and horse car until 1902 when the first Havens School was completed.
By 1912 another Piedmont school was ready to help carry the ever-increasing enrollment load. Located at the corner of Lake and Linda Avenues, it was an imposing three story structure in the Mission revival style of architecture so popular at the time. This school was later named for Egbert W. Beach, a Piedmont resident who was the first Californian killed in World War I. In 1933, when this building was condemned as both a fire and an earthquake hazard, funds from the Works Proiects Administration were used to construct the first two sections of a three section plan for the new school. The final section, finished in 1940, included the library, administrative offices and an auditorium named for Florence Luke, the original school's first principal. Students of today still enjoy the hand-painted murals on the beamed ceiling of that auditorium, and Beach kindergartners delight in a feature uncommon in most modern schools —a large open fire place in their room.
Founding
With its burgeoning population, Piedmont incorporated late the following year, September 1907. Several years later, Piedmont’s forefathers deemed it wise to build not one, but two schools to serve the community. The city’s first school (originally named The Bonita Avenue School, but later renamed Frank C. Haven’s after the land donor) opened its doors in 1911. The Bonita Avenue School quickly filled to capacity, and the Lake Avenue School was built in 1913 as a response to the continuing demand for more classrooms.
Renaming
At the Lake Avenue School, four teachers taught 100 students in six grades. In 1918, the school was renamed the Egbert W. Beach School in honor of Egbert William Beach. Beach was a popular resident and active in his church with children.
Picturing school activities / An interesting résumé of modern school activities, as exemplified in the public schools of Alameda County, California by Rice, Archie Birmingham; Bell, Harmon:
At Piedmont and San Leandro and Alvarado and Centerville boys were shown doing practical carpentry.
For instance, preparation of the children of the Piedmont school for the cover design, "A California Tower of Jewels." was no small task.
I went to that school at 8:30 in the morning, consulted with the four men who were about to construct the necessary scaffolding, telling them what I had in mind. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon I was back with a still-life photographer, for then the structure was ready. By 2:30 o'clock I began arranging the 300 children, the littlest first and down in front. But little folk wiggle and tire, and even these charming Piedmont children would not all stay put. By 4 o'clock the thing was ready, and the photographer made three rapid exposures. The preparations took an hour and a half for that rapidly, but the actual picture was made in two-fifths of a second. I had to be careful and sure that no accident might mar the occasion.
Some twenty years at newspaper and magazine writing, with an eye ever alert for the strange and the picturesque and the beautiful, and a personal experience at talking before nearly a hundred school, college and convent audiences in California are back of the assertion I now make: That Piedmont group is uniformly the finest lot of children I have ever seen together anywhere. Particularly were the lovely girls, and as sweet as they were good to look upon.
Piedmont is a hillside paradise of beautiful homes, made lovely with gardens and set for a commanding view down over Oakland and toward the Golden Gate and the fire-christened city off over there that is piled and ranked upon its forty hills, the least of which is higher than any hill in Rome or Athens.
They told me that the supervising principal of those two Piedmont schools is the highest paid woman teacher in the county schools. She is Miss Clara Crumpton, and the pay is $1,800 a year.
Oakland Tribune - Sun - Apr. 17, 1921
The school that almost wasn't
The San Francisco Call - Sat. May 11, 1912
PIEDMONT BOND ISSUE DEFEATED
PIEDMONT, May 10.—The $150,000 bond issue for school sites and play-grounds met defeat today. The vote on the plan to spend $75,000 for land near the new Oakland avenue bridge for a public playground and a site for a future school building was defeated by a vote of 100 for and 332 against, and the proposition to expend an equal amount of money for a site in lower Piedmont, In the vicinity of the new bridge in Pleasant valley was defeated by a vote of 205 for and 259 against.
A three cornered fight was waged to-day, the residents of the lower section of Piedmont believing that $75,000 for bonds for the Pleasant Valley site was as much as should be expended, the upper Piedmont voters favoring bonds for their section of the municipality and a third group holding that the bonded indebtedness was already heavy enough and objecting to both propositions. Another element entered into the campaign with the announcement from Frank C. Havens, owner of Piedmont park, that he would sell the portion of the park east of the Key Route right of way, including the clubhouse and other, improvements ,for $200,00.
The tract comprises 30 acres arid the price offered was $6,666 an acre, al-though It has been appraised at $89000. This offer will be open for 90 days, and, according to a number of the prominent residents of Piedmont, efforts will be made to have it favorably considered. The total vote today by precincts was as follows: Precinct No. 1—Proposition No. 1, 61 for, 226 against; proposition No. 2, 45 for, 234 against. Precinct No. 2—Proposition No. 1, 144 for, 33 against; proposition No. 2, 55 for, 9S against. The total vote cast was 464.
San Francisco Bulletin - Nov 7, 1912
Oakland Tribune - Nov 1, 1912
The new Beach School
Mid-20th Century
Re-Construction
While Beach’s original building was constructed in 1913, it was condemned as a firetrap and earthquake menace in 1933 and torn down in 1934.
Temporarily housed in 14 one-room shacks, Beach was ultimately replaced in two separate Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects: the main wing was built in 1936 then the auditorium/classroom wing was added in 1940. This reconstruction was part of the FDR New Deal program’s larger effort to upgrade almost 300 California schools. In Piedmont, the WPA built 28 new earthquake-ready classrooms not only at Beach but also at Havens, Wildwood, and Piedmont High School. Additionally, new auditoriums sprouted in all three elementary schools, each with a different theme: 1) Literature (Beach), 2) California History (Havens) and 3) U.S. History (Wildwood). Interestingly, the beautiful pictures featured on the ceiling were the work of fifth- and sixth-grade students who painted the panels in a paint-by-number fashion. Unlike Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, however, the painters completed their works on the ground and then the murals were applied to the ceiling. Beach dedicated its auditorium as the Florence E. Luke Play House. Ms. Luke had been a teacher at Beach School for 27 years.
More history
From the Living New Deal Website:
New Deal Agencies: Federal Works Agency (FWA), Works Progress Administration (WPA)
Started: 1936
Completed: 1940
Designers: John J. Donovan
Quality of Information: Very Good
Status: Marked
Site Survival: Extant
The original Beach School was built in 1913 but declared an earthquake hazard and torn down in 1934. It was replaced in two phases: the main wing in 1936 and the rear classroom wing and auditorium in 1940 (PHS 2007). The new school included 8 classrooms, a kindergarten, offices, a health room and an auditorium.
There had been three previous efforts to replace schools and temporary buildings at schools in Piedmont in the 1920s, but the bond issues lost. After the school board sought and gained funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA), a new bond issue passed in December 1933. Of the over $300,000 available, $111,000 was allocated for the Beach School.
Nevertheless, the school district exhausted these funds at some point and sought further aid from the Works Projects Administration (WPA) later in the decade. The WPA provided an additional $115,000 in relief labor and materials to rebuild the Beach School and the plaque on the school credits the WPA (part of the Federal Works Administration in 1940) not the PWA (Piedmonter 1940).
The design of Beach School is single-story Mission Revival. The main building faces north and a long classroom wing extends southward from the back of the former. The back wing has both inside and outside access to each classroom. The L-shaped building flanks a large playground. It remains in good condition with original elements of the interior intact (note the covered fireplace in the lobby).
The auditorium is at the northeast corner of the school (to the left, facing the school entrance). An interesting note is student participation in the creation of the school auditoriums: “The ceilings of each auditorium have a different theme. At Beach the theme is literature. At Havens it is California history, and at Wildwood it is U.S. history. Fifth and sixth graders painted the panels in a paint-by-number fashion before they were applied to the ceiling…..”
The school was named after the first son of Piedmont to be killed in the First World War. The Mother Goose murals executed by High School art students and the linoleum inlaid floor depicting Noah’s Ark, both in the Kindergarten room, were done when the school was built but are not New Deal projects.
Oakland Tribune – Fri – Apr. 13, 1934
OLD PIEDMONT SCHOOL TO FALL
The three story Egbert W. Beach School at Linda and Lake Avenues, built in 1913, was being razed today by workmen, after being closed to 317 pupils on December 15.
The building was condemned by E. D. Francis, senior structural engineer for the State who branded it as being “very deteriorated condition, not having a sufficient margin of safety.”
According to Harry W. Jones, Piedmont superintendent of schools, the building was erected on filled land that had been sinking steadily for the past 20 years, causing walls to sag out of line and jots to be strained.
Construction of a new building at this time is not contemplated. Pupils are being housed in temporary structures containing 17 rooms and costing $6500.
Before work of tearing the building down began the bronze plaque afflicted to the school at the time it was renamed in 1919 was removed. Originally the plant was known as the Lake Avenue School.
In honor of Egbert W Beach, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ranson E. Beach, 110 Sunnyside Avenue, who was the first California officer to be killed during the World War, the school’s name was changed. The bronze plaque was placed by the Oakland Chapter of the D. A. R.
Young Beach was a lieutenant in the Company of B. of the First Engineers.
Murals in the auditorium & Kindergarten class
The auditorium is at the northeast corner of the school (to the left, facing the school entrance). An interesting note is student participation in the creation of the school auditoriums: “The ceilings of each auditorium have a different theme. At Beach the theme is literature. At Havens it is California history, and at Wildwood it is U.S. history. Fifth and sixth graders painted the panels in a paint-by-number fashion before they were applied to the ceiling…..”
The school was named after the first son of Piedmont to be killed in the First World War. The Mother Goose murals executed by High School art students and the linoleum inlaid floor depicting Noah’s Ark, both in the Kindergarten room, were done when the school was built but are not New Deal projects.
The Piedmonter (now a defunct newspaper), Oakland, California, March 3, 1938:
ART STUDENTS DESIGNING MURALS FOR KINDERGARTEN
An experiment in community art work that is attracting the favorable interest of educators is being carried on at Piedmont High School. These murals for the new kindergarten nearing completion at Beach School are being designed by students in the art department working in collaboration with each other. The method of getting the best possible results from their combined creative impulses was evolved by Mrs. Lillian Sonnenschein, head of the department. Her procedure is to have the class as a whole decide upon the general scope and purpose of the design. Each designer then suits her individual expression to the formulation decided upon. This produces harmony of feeling among all the layouts.
The murals then are executed in oil on oil cloth, in crisp colors to conform with the general blue tones of the kindergarten. Large, simple designs, appropriate to the work done by the children are the chief consideration.
A number of subjects being treated by the young artists are nearly finished. These may be seen in the High School art room, where students may be found working on them during the late afternoon. They will give the local elementary school one of the most artistically decorated kindergartens in the country.
Subjects nearing completion are the following:
"Mary and Her Little Lamb," Jeanne Swanson; "Tom-Tom the Piper's Son," Willow Whalman; "The Calico Cat and the Gingham Dog," Marguerite Curtis; "Jack and Jill," Elva Spiess; "Margery Daw," Carol Lavenson; "Group of Small Children," Nancy Newsom and Beverly Lannon; "Hansel and Gretel," Carol Wood.
The Key System ran by Beach School
Oakland Tribune - Wed - Aug. 24, 1966
McHugh Years
Beach enjoyed the long-tenured guidance of Nancy McHugh, who served as principal of the school from 1979-2007. Combining Nancy’s leadership with Beach parent and teacher collaboration, the school gained a reputation for both strong academics and community intimacy. Nancy presided over a significant expansion of the school in the late 90’s. The long hallway at Beach originally only had one side with classrooms. The school added four classrooms, the computer lab and the library to the opposite side of the hall. Beach students and teachers continued to meet in their existing classrooms while surrounded by construction. Specific rules were fondly remembered for ensuring safety — no playing with jackhammers during recess! Fittingly, upon Nancy’s retirement, Beach renamed their lovely book treasury as the Nancy McHugh Library.
Olympic Torch
Oakland Tribune - Sun. Jan 13, 2002
The official route passes by at least four elementary schools and students are expected to be outside to wave on the volunteer relay participants. Each of the schools, Lincoln Elementary on 11th and Jackson, Lakeview Elementary on Grand. Piedmont Avenue Elementary on Piedmont Avenue, and Beach Elementary on Lake Street in Piedmont, have long histories dating in some cases back to the mid-1800s.
A plaque at the entry of Beach School, for instance, identified John J. Donovan as the architect of the Mediterranean-style building, constructed in 1936. It replaced an earlier school on the same site that was renamed to Egbert William Beach, a young Piedmont who was the first Californian soldier to give his life in World War I.
A prominent architect of the era, J.J. Donovan, designed a number of schools throughout the state in the in 1920s and '30s. He published a book on school architecture that became the recognized textbook on the subject during those decades. Donovan 1s credited with working on the designs of the Municipal Auditorium (1915) and City Hall (1911).
The torchbearers will switch off every two-tenths of a mile along the route...
Beach on TV
Gravity Falls is an American mystery comedy animated television series created by Alex Hirsch for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The series follows the adventures of Dipper Pines (Jason Ritter) and his twin sister Mabel (Kristen Schaal) who are sent to spend the summer with their great-uncle (or "Grunkle") Stan (Hirsch) in Gravity Falls, Oregon, a mysterious town full of paranormal incidents and supernatural creatures. The kids help Stan run the "Mystery Shack", the tourist trap that he owns, while also investigating the local mysteries.
The series premiered on June 15, 2012, and ran until February 15, 2016. On November 20, 2015, Hirsch announced that the series would finish with its second season, stating that this was "100% [his] choice" and that "the show isn't being cancelled – it's being finished" and was simply reaching its natural conclusion. The series ended on February 15, 2016, with a one-hour finale, "Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls". Hirsch later stated that he remains open to continuing the series with additional episodes or specials.
Gravity Falls received critical acclaim with praise directed at its writing, characters, voice acting, animation, humor, and multi-generational appeal. Additionally, the series won two Emmy Awards, three Annie Awards, and a BAFTA Children's Award, among various other wins and nominations. Gravity Falls garnered high viewership amongst kids, teenagers, and young adults during its run and was Disney XD's highest rated show in 2015 and early 2016, while also setting several ratings records for the network. The series has attracted a broad and passionate fandom and has been considered to be an influence for many animated shows that followed it, and has also spawned a variety of official merchandise.
[...]
For their summer vacation, 12-year-old twins Dipper and Mabel Pines are dropped off from their home in Piedmont, California, to the fictitious town of Gravity Falls, Roadkill County, Oregon, to spend the summer with their great uncle Stan Pines (often shortened to Grunkle Stan), who runs a tourist trap called the "Mystery Shack". Things are not what they seem in this small town, and with the help of a mysterious journal that Dipper finds in the forest, they begin unraveling the town's mysteries each day. With Wendy Corduroy, Mystery Shack cashier; Soos Ramirez, a friend of Dipper and Mabel and handyman to Grunkle Stan; plus an assortment of other characters, Dipper and Mabel always have an intriguing day to look forward to.
