Time has always been a good way of measuring things, but those measurements can sometimes seem distorted. For example, it feels like it was a few months ago that we moved to Castro Valley so that our toddler son would eventually have a good public school system to be a part of. That same child will graduate from 5th grade later this year. As luck would have it, he is graduating from Palomares Elementary School 150 years after it first opened.

When he started in kindergarten at Palomares, my grade school memories started to come back to me. What had been just vague recollections of my school days, became crystal clear now that I could compare them to my son’s progress. Once we had settled into his regular school routine I started to notice details about the school. The odd cement rectangle in the parking lot, and the uniform lines of large stones emerging from the tanbark. Eventually I realized this was the foundation of the old school building that had first opened in 1868. I started to wonder if my son’s classmates had any idea that the path they took to their school was once where boys and girls played 150 years ago.

When I was a student, I had little interest in history. I’ve always thought this was because I had no way of connecting with it. But here I had actual artifacts taunting me each day as I walked our son into school, begging me to learn about them. I had a conversation with one of the Palomares Instructional Aides who’s children had also been students at Palomares. She mentioned that at one point there had been a model of the old school building, but that it’s whereabouts were no longer known. I found some old photographs of the school in it’s early years, but they only increased my curiosity. The more I thought about the missing model of the school, the more I started to believe that maybe I could create one.

My first thought was to make a cardboard scale replica of the old school. I carefully measured the perimeter of what was left of the old foundation. It was easy to see where new additions had been added with concrete foundations next to the original stone foundation from the 18th century. The cardboard model was satisfying to make, but I still wanted to see more detail.

I’ve always been good at visualizing solutions to challenges I faced. And soon I found myself thinking of ways to create a detailed building in miniature. I’ve never made an architectural model but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed possible. Taken in it’s totality, it seemed like an insurmountable task, but looking at each step made it seem possible. I started by making the school’s iconic bell tower. This inspired me to continue with the rest of the building. It all started to come together, at least until I would think about the thousands of shingles the main building would require.

A close inspection of some of the old photos showed that there were two types of siding for the building. The siding material was easily obtained from a company specializing in model train layouts. But I quickly realized that the unique windows and doors would not be obtained so easily. So I set about making 15 tiny window frames, each with two tiny double-hung windows. The window shutters had me stumped, but then I found some fabric ribbon with just the right texture to simulate the tiny louvers.

I actually found myself nearing completion at a faster rate than I expected, and the sesquicentennial was still a year away. With Summer just around the corner I put the brakes on the project so that I could complete the model closer to the actual anniversary. I mentioned earlier that I was good at visualizing solutions, but my real talent is procrastination. It didn’t take long for the once distant date of April 14, 2018 to suddenly be uncomfortably close. The pressure of the deadline has forced some design changes, but I think this is for the better. I’ve started working on the foundation for the model. I haven’t a clue as to how I will create the ground that the model sits on, but at one point I was clueless as to how to make a miniature building, and look at where I am now.

It’s interesting to see which details I try to match, and which ones I’m willing to let be different. The two chimneys I’ve created are slightly larger scale than the original brick structures, but I’m happy with how they look and it doesn’t seem to distract from the look of the model. I also worry about the colors I’ve chosen. The old photos give a hint a darker or lighter tones, but no clue to the actual color.

This has been an interesting process, and it’s been a great way to learn about the early days o the school. Hopefully the finished model will give the Palomares students a way to visualize the history of their school. On one hand, 150 years seems like a very long time ago, but then I realize I was born when the school was less than 100 years old.