Copyright ©2010. The Associated Press. Produced by NewsOK.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Capitol Hill High School auditorium renovation reveals original design

Renovation work on the Capitol Hill High School auditorium revealed something worth saving, much like the neighborhood itself, when the gritty and worn surface was peeled away.

Crews doing MAPS for Kids renovations to the school found ornate decorative plaster in the auditorium as they did demolition work, and the original design then was incorporated into the construction. Advocates for the area say it's the latest sign that historic Capitol Hill can still be a thriving and unique community.

“I really hope that the preservation of it and some of the other things going on over there will help restore some of the tradition,” said Ward 4 City Councilman Pete White, who attended rival Southeast High School but is a longtime Capitol Hill resident and advocate whose ward includes the school. “Some of that tradition has been lost, and the anchor for that whole neighborhood has always been Capitol Hill High School.”

Capitol Hill, long regarded as one of the city's most beautiful schools because of its design similar to grand buildings at Oklahoma's top universities, is in the midst of a $13 million renovation as part of MAPS for Kids. The auditorium's renovation cost about $500,000 after additional money from contingency funds was allocated to alter plans once the decorative work was discovered.

---