Oceanside city officials and political hopefuls gathered at the historic Americanization School on Monday to eat Mexican food, listen to Mexican music and kick off the building's restoration and rebirth as a community center.
The school at Center Avenue and Division Street was designed in 1930 by Irving Gill, San Diego's most prestigious modern architect, after Oceanside Elementary School saw the need to funnel Spanish-speaking students into an English-language program.
Sixty-two years later, the neighborhood remains heavily Latino, plagued by crime and gang violence. But Monday, only a handful of neighborhood residents showed up at the dedication ceremony, which was held in English.
Those who did, however, said they were eager to volunteer their time and services to turn the old school into their community center--complete with English classes, a bilingual library, recreational facilities and medical referrals.
And volunteer they must.
In 1990, the city purchased the 3,500-square-foot, wood-frame and stucco building with its arched entry and simple Islamic dome to be the neighborhood's community center. But city funds have covered only $50,000 of the project's estimated $316,000 price tag.
So far, The Fieldstone Co. and Centrex Homes, construction management companies, have donated more than $40,000 in materials, and a host of other companies have also pitched in.
But more than $200,000--for everything from furniture to building materials--is still needed. Monday's groundbreaking was held in part to make that pitch.
"There's nobody that can't do something for this building," said City Councilwoman Melba Bishop, who is seeking reelection. "Today's the day we start pulling up the floor. So if you want a little piece of history, stay and pull up a piece of the floor."
City officials from the mayor on down filled the schoolyard Monday to applaud restoration of the architectural landmark--and the impact of a community center on the gang-torn barrio.
"We have a chance to do something that may be more important" than preserving the building, Mayor Larry Bagley said, "and that is to establish a heart for this neighborhood. It gives us a chance to bring this building, and this neighborhood, back to life."
The school's gated yard already shows signs of the neighborhood's involvement. The same teen-agers the building will soon serve have cleared away knee-high junk and leaves, and painted a mural sporting low-rider bikes, bilingual books and a call for "Peace and Dignity" on a long wooden structure that runs along the Division Street side.
