New windows restore old look at Wheeler Avenue

District 13’s oldest school is getting its original look back — at least somewhat. Four decades after windows were removed from Wheeler Avenue School’s auditorium, two have been put back in an effort to improve acoustics, bring more natural light into the room and restore its historic look.

The project was approved two years ago by the Board of Education and funding was included in the 2008-09 budget.

Wheeler Avenue, built in 1923, originally had six tall windows in the auditorium, three on each side, but were later removed and covered over. The school board discussed restoring eyebrow windows — the top curved part of each window opening — for all six but the cost was too prohibitive, so the board approved the center two.

Meredith Brosnan, the assistant superintendent for business, said the hope is to eventually restore the upper sections of all six windows in the future. “But,” she said, “if this is all we wind up doing it’s definitely a big improvement.”

For several years, Brosnan explained, district officials have been looking to improve acoustics in the auditorium. Sound specialists visited the room and noted that the lack of windows was bad for the acoustics. When the windows were replaced with concrete, it created more hard surfaces for noise to bounce off of, resulting in poor sound quality.

In recent years, some acoustical panels were added over the old window openings, which Principal Christine Zerillo says has helped. The Wheeler auditorium is used for several school functions, including concerts and assemblies, as well as at least one Board of Education meeting each year.

Zerillo said that much of the auditorium is still original from the when the school was first built. The seats have never been changed, an there is a gold-plated “13” on the end seat of each row. “The seats are still in excellent shape,” she said. “They are part of Wheeler’s history.”

There are ways to enhance the auditorium without damaging the historical look, she said, such as the addition of the windows.