McCormick Middle School

McCormick Middle School is part of the Wellington Exempted Village School District located in Wellington, Ohio .HistoryThe original school was built in 1867 and is currently used for educational and cafeteria space . It is hidden from view by the 1916 addition, as seen in the adjacent picture. A second addition was built in 1938 and consists of an auditorium . The final addition was completed in 1953 . Total space for the entire facility is 100,714 sq/ft.Myron T. Herrick, 42nd Governor of Ohio and twice United States Ambassador to France, attended high school at the Wellington Union School .Telescope and Observatory1922 saw the addition of an astronomical observatory with a 4-inch Bausch & Lomb refracting telescope. These items were gifts from the Wellington Alumni Association in memory of Prof. R.H. Kinnison, a former Superintendent of Wellington Schools. His hobbies included astronomy and related sciences. The total cost was quoted at $2,250, which included the observatory tower, telescope/mount and various accessories. The agreed location for this memorial was on the roof of the 1916 addition. The white dome is visible in the Color McCormick with Observatory picture on the right.1938 Classroom/Auditorium AdditionIn 1938, 15 new classrooms and an auditorium/gymnasium were approved by the Board of Education. The proposed total cost was $194,402 with $85,612 (45%) coming from a Federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) grant listed under "P.W.A. - Docket-No. OH-1673 F" and the remaining amount collected from a bond issue, which voters passed during a special election on August 6, 1938. The project formally started on July 22, 1938 and was completed September 5, 1939.ArchitectThe additions were designed by Cleveland architect, Harry A. Fulton. During his career, Fulton was known as the "dean of school architects". He designed many school buildings in Cleveland and northeast Ohio. Henretta, Avon, Brownhelm and Columbia Schools in Lorain County, all built between 1921 - 1922, were designed by the architectural firm of Fulton, Taylor and Cahill.