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 1957:
Lillian C. Schmitt Elementary School
Background music: Buddy Holly, "Every
Day" (instrumental), music from the soundtrack of Around
the World in 80 Days
The year was 1957, and the Baby Boom was
in full swing. In fact, 1957 produced more Baby Boomers than any
other year, and the surge of population growth was felt in Columbus
as much as anywhere else. The need for new schools became apparent
as the number of children continued to increase.
In Columbus, the Cummins Engine Foundation
had paid architect Harry Weese to design The Lillian Schmitt Elementary
School, launching what would become the Cummins Foundation Architecture
Program. The school was completed in 1957.
The President was Dwight Eisenhower; Vice-President
was Richard Nixon. The average American income was less than $5000
a year, a gallon of gas was about 24 cents, and the minimum wage
was up to a dollar an hour. Some people born in 1957 include Spike
Lee, Gloria Estefan, Katie Couric, and Matt Lauer.
Some new items from 1957 included: Velcro®,
the Frisbee®, frozen pizza, and the ill-fated Edsel automobile.
Russia launched the very first artificial satellite, Sputnik, and
Britain became the third nation to explode an atomic weapon.
And aside from the new Lillian Schmitt Elementary
School, Columbus saw the completion of the residence of J. Irwin
Miller, General Manager of Cummins Engine.
The Miller residence was another outstanding
architectural addition to the city, designed by architect Eero
Saarinen, the son of Eliel Saarien. Eero would go on to design
the famous St. Louis Gateway Arch and the Dulles Airport Terminal
near Washington D.C.
As Columbus continued to grow in size and
sophistication, the unique and practical new buildings made possible
by the Cummins Foundation offered a bold and distinguishing aesthetic
sensibility to this remarkable midwestern city.
More about 1950s life in the United States
Dr. Suess' The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.
Leave it To Beaver, American Bandstand.
black and white television, stereophonic 45-rpm records and record
players, drive-in movies.
LeVar Burton actor; Jan Hooks, actress; Jon Lovitz,
actor; and Lyle Lovett, singer.
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