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Fort Lauderdale commissioners proclaim Feb. 4, 2010, Broward County Historic Commission and Museum Day as West Side Grade School is honored
Summary
During a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Fort Lauderdale city commissioners read a proclamation recognizing Broward County Historic Commission and Museum Day and heard a brief history of the West Side Grade School from Broward County historian Helen Landers, who described the school's 1923 construction and early classroom practices.
Fort Lauderdale city commissioners read a proclamation declaring Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010, as Broward County Historic Commission and Museum Day during a ribbon-cutting ceremony and recognized local leaders for restoring the West Side Grade School.
The proclamation honors the newly restored facility and acknowledges local efforts to preserve Broward County history. Broward County historian Helen Landers gave a brief history of the building, describing its construction in 1923 and early school routines.
At the ceremony an unnamed city commissioner read the closing lines of the proclamation: "We, as the city commissioners of the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, do hereby proclaim Thursday, February 4, 2010, as Broward County Historic Commission and Museum Day in the City of Fort Lauderdale and do recognize you and congratulate you on a wonderful job or a job well done and a wonderful new facility." The commissioner separately thanked John Rosstrom for his leadership on the project.
Helen Landers, introduced in the program as the Broward County historian, summarized the building's early history and construction. She said the school — identified in historical records and on the building as West Side Grade School — was erected in 1923. "In the context of the time in which it was built in 1923, this is the only one of the great schools in Fort Lauderdale that has the word grade in it," Landers said.
Landers described the original contract for construction, saying the school board issued a contract in July 1923 to a firm transcribed in the program as "K hot and Heart" for $23,000. She said there were no change orders between July and Sept. 21, 1923, and that the school opened on the first day of school that year. "On the first day of school, all the children lined up out there on that sidewalk 2 by 2," Landers said, describing teachers assigning seats and the students reciting what she identified as the Lord's Prayer as part of the opening routine.
The program noted John Rosstrom's involvement; an unnamed commissioner thanked Rosstrom at the ceremony for his role in bringing the project to completion. The proclamation and remarks focused on the building's preservation and the public recognition of the work by county and city partners.
The ceremony concluded with the reading of the proclamation and expressions of gratitude to restoration leaders and attendees. No formal votes or policy actions were recorded in the transcript excerpt provided.
