Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Built in 1895 at Navarre Avenue and Berry Street, East Side Central was once the most imposing school building on the East Side, until Waite Hight School opened in 1914. It got its name because Central High School (downtown where the main library is today) was the only place to take high school classes, but students in East Toledo could go to East Side Central to get some early high school credits. Seen here in 1911, the huge Victorian building had four floors, wide hallways, and turrets that held circular stairways. By the late 1950s, however, a more modern building was needed, and the old school closed in April 1960. Just over a week later, as workers were beginning the demolition, the old building caught fire and went out in a blaze of glory.
