Hibbing High School auditorium A work of art that comes along ‘once in a lifetime’

By Brady Slater bslater@duluthnews.com

HIBBING — Built across six years ending in 1924, majestic Hibbing High School is on the National Register of Historic Places, a fact that certifies its future as a protected gem on the Iron Range. Repairs and updates come a few million dollars at a time — the price it took to build it 100 years ago.

It’s so large, said Bob Kearney, that the White House could fit inside it, surrounded by a race track, grandstands and a parkway to drive around it all.

Sharp in all facets like a pocket watch, Kearney, 72, went to school there, retired as its maintenance supervisor and gives tours for about 1,000 people a year.

“I’ve given over 40,000 tours and half the tours are kids bringing their kids back and saying, ‘You’ve got to see my high school,’ ” Kearney said.

Still home to more than 1,000 students in grades 7-12, Kearney took the News Tribune into the pearl at the center of it all; the auditorium. His breath remained capable of being taken away.

“I still can’t find any seams,” he said, his eyes trained above him in the vestibule at an ornate ceiling that looked like cake font.

Inside, the auditorium was its usual cavernous self, gleaming in pastels and the fall gold in the plush seats.

“It reminds me of an opera house,” Kearney said, recalling a long line of entertainers and influencers who have graced the stage. None, he said, was more impressive than Amelia Earhart. She famously disappeared shortly after an appearance there.

Today, the chandeliers repel on mechanical cables for cleaning and the stage is fully loaded with metropolitan-style tech. During the News Tribune’s visit, schoolkids prepared for a fall musical production of “Grease.”

Kearney sparkled with pride for it all, recalling how the different people of more than 30 nationalities came together to build such a marvel.

“It’s literally handmade,” he said. “Most of the people couldn’t talk to each other because they spoke different languages. You hope that the people coming up cherish things like this because this comes along once in a lifetime.” u