Benton Co. History: Former Sauk Rapids HS 'Product of Ingenuity'

SAUK RAPIDS (WJON News) -- Whether you know it as the Hill School, the School on the Hill, or Hillside the former Sauk Rapids High School was described as "A Product of the Ingenuity of a Master Mind" when it was built 96 years ago.

Benton County Historical Society Executive Director Mary Ostby says it was the second high school for Sauk Rapids replacing the Russell School 1 1/2 blocks away.

Photo Courtesy of Benton County Historical Society

She says the town was so excited about it there was a special edition of the newspaper in 1928 describing all the technology in the building.

When I started reading the different articles I was absolutely amazed at the technology and upgrades that they put into the high school in 1928.

The school was the first project in the entire country that had mobile floors.

The seats were put in for an auditorium and for athletic events, so it was a combination gymnasium/auditorium. So when it was a gymnasium the seats would roll back into the walls.

Architect E.F. Broomhall received numerous awards for the project, and he patented his design for mobile floors.

photo courtesy of the Benton County Historical Society

The school also featured a massive wooden clock, it had a domed skylight over the study hall room, and a one-way glass window was installed in the Superintendent's office so he could watch the study hall room.

It cost $93,000 to build the school and a total of $125,000 including equipment.

The school enrollment for the high school was 230 students in 1932. In 1934 the stone walls around the high school athletic field were completed as a WPA project. In 1940 a stove was purchased so hot lunches could be served.

Photo courtesy of the Benton County Historical Society

Despite all of its early technology, the building is not on the National Historical Registry.

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Sauk Rapids school district moved into a new high school in 1960. That building is currently being used by the School District as the Hillside Early Education Center.

Once a month Ostby is on the News @ Noon Show on WJON and she talks about the forgotten history of Benton County.