Historic Old Central High School

Landmark Remains A Beacon Of Education

By Adelle Whitefoot awhitefoot@duluthnews.com

Standing in the center of Duluth, Historic Old Central High School still serves students 127 years after it was built.

Historic Old Central opened in 1892 when the lumber and shipping industries were making Duluth a thriving, wealthy city at the head of the lake. Modeled after the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh, the Richardsonian Romanesque-style school was designed by Emmet S. Palmer and Lucien P. Hall. It is considered one of the state’s finest examples of that type of architecture.

The Lake Superior brownstone, three-story structure is one of the most recognizable buildings in Duluth. The clock tower alone, which stands about 230 feet high, is an icon of the city’s skyline.

The clock was produced by E. Howard Bell Company of Boston and was installed in the tower in 1893. The face is about 10 feet in diameter and previously operated on a system of weights until it was converted to an electric motor in the 1940s. The bells still chime to this day. The inside contains names of students who graduated from the school.

The school has been modernized over the years, but is still one classroom stuck in time. The 1890s Classroom Museum in Historic Old Central is open to the public at 9 a.m. the first Friday of every month in Room 112.

Historic Old Central served as a high school until 1971, when the new Central High School on top of the hill opened. It is now home to Academic Excellence Online high school and the Area Learning Center as well as the school district’s administration offices. u

Historic Old Central High School as it stands today. (Steve Kuchera / skuchera@ duluthnews.com)