Blume High School

The former Blume High School is a historic building in downtown Wapakoneta, Ohio. It was the first exclusive home of Wapakoneta High School. Before this building, students in Wapakoneta attended classes alongside younger students in a shared school.

The original part of the high school was built for $41,315 and designed by a local architect named William M. Runkle. In the mid-1920s, the school grew with new parts added, including a gymnasium, a library, and what is called the "Red Brick Section." These new parts were designed by an architect from Columbus named Frank Packard. The money for the library and gym came from a gift left by someone named L.N. Blume.

As the number of students in the Wapakoneta City School District grew, the old building became too small by the mid-1950s. In 1956, people voted to build a new school, which opened in 1959. Blume High School was then used as a junior high school for some years. Later, in 1988, voters decided to close the school, and it shut down by 1990. In 1996, the old Blume High School was added to the National Register of Historic Places because of its special architecture. Today, the building has been changed into apartments.

Notable alumni

Blume High School has produced some famous graduates. One of its notable alumni is Neil Armstrong, who graduated in 1947 and became a NASA astronaut, famously the first person to walk on the Moon. Another well-known graduate is Dudley Nichols, who graduated in 1913 and went on to win an Oscar for his work as a screenwriter and director.