RHINELANDER, WIS (WJFW) - I’m at historic West elementary school in Rhinelander, to meet up with a teacher from Milwaukee, who’s working on a book about historic art tiles. Let’s go inside, and see what makes west school worth a visit.
When Ben Tyjeski isn’t teaching children about art, he is exploring hidden places, studying historic ceramic tiles. West School had an addition put on in the 1939 which included a model Kindergarten room featuring large bay windows, a fire place, and art tiles which depict animals and nursery rhymes. The tiles represent a unique period in school architecture, and the ideas behind their construction. fireplace
“How were designers trying to create child friendly schools, in the interwar period in the 20s and 30s, and fire places and drinking fountains with tiles, this was one-way designers were meeting the needs of children so that when they were designing these big buildings for these little pupils, they had something that was welcoming to them, and to the school, to help transition them from home and to school life,” said Tyjeski.
The tiles were made by the Mosaic Tile Company in Zanesville, Ohio.
“This was one of the few companies that were still around the United States in the late 1930s that were making tiles like this,” said Tyjeski.
Ben spent a lot of time photographing the tiles from all angles during his visit. He plans to use the photos in a book highlighting art tiles made for schools in Wisconsin during the 20s 30s and 40s.
“What you see here are some beautifully textured, colorful tiles. They look like they would have in 1939. Its important we preserve them because they are an artifact of time, and they tell of the values of or communities in that period,” said Tyjeski.
West School is being used today as an apartment complex. The resident occupying the old kindergarten room allowed us visit, as the buildings manager gave us a tour.
“It’s also really fantastic that the housing authority was able to remodel and renovate this building in the early 2000s to make still a space that can be a part of the community as an apartment building, because then, these wonderful, delightful pictures are still with us,” said Tyjeski.
Ben talked about what purpose the preservation of these tiles serves today.
“People learning about these tiles can help inspire them, to you know, whether it’s a community center or in a school that’s today, they can continue this tradition of making permanent pictures for a space. I’m just excited really excited to recognize what’s here, and share some of that knowledge,”
You never know what kind of hidden gems you can find in the Northwoods, including art tiles.
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