How South began
South High School held its first classes in 1893 in the two rooms of the old Grant building, which is now the rebuilt Grant Middle School on Washington Street at Mexico Avenue. By 1924, enrollment neared 800, and more space was desperately needed. Funds for a new school were raised, and a cornerstone for the new building - today's South High - was laid on October 31, 1924 (it's to the left of the main entrance). During the school's dedication ceremony, items were placed in the cornerstone: a Bible, an American flag, a copy of the Constitution, a book of South High, signatures of the first students and teachers, and Denver's city charter. After the cornerstone was sealed, corn, wine, and oil were scattered over the stone, representing nourishment, refreshment, and joy.
The architecture
The building was designed following the decade's Romanesque trend and (like Rockefeller Center) is adorned by local sculptor Robert Garrison. Intended to last a century, the building cost $1,252,000. The architect favored the use of painting and sculpture in Denver's public buildings, influenced the use of statues and terracotta figures as adornment. The entrance gargoyle was inspired by the Spoleto Cathedral's; also Italian in design is the clocktower, similar to Rome's tallest medieval belfry at Santa Maria in Cosmedin.
Many of the building's interior and exterior designs were copied from well-known Italian structures; South's versions were created by artist Robert Garrison. On the rooftop over the main west entrance is a three-and-a-half foot-tall gargoyle, the symbolic protector of South, inspired by one on Italy's Spoleto Cathedral. Saint Ambrogio in Milan, Italy, served as the model for the five arched loggia beneath the gargoyle. Topping the striped poles on either side of the front entrance are figures of faculty members holding creatures representing final exams. The creatures are about to devour the students whose heads are resting on piles of books. The two friezes above the main west door are entitled "Faculty Row" and "Animal Spirits." The first, on the exterior of the building, shows the principal in the center of a line of the entire faculty. On his right is the assistant principal, and the now nonexistent dean of girls is on his left. The second frieze, directly above the doors, depicts creatures that symbolize unscholarly behavior such as rubber-band shooting and gum chewing.
The ornate door frame at the northwest entrance to the school bears a frieze that shows students going to school - some eagerly and others by force. The school's North Court is guarded by four winged lions, or griffins, which have since been overgrown by vines. South's notable clock tower is thought to be a replica of Italy's Santa Maria Cosmedin, although there are some differences. This clock displays the zodiac around the dial, beginning with Aries at one o'clock and running counterclockwise.
Changes in the building
South has gone through many changes since its construction in 1925. The front of the fourth floor was first designated a teachers' lunchroom, and then served as a study hall before being divided into three classrooms. An athlete study hall and a girl's lounge have evolved into the second-floor faculty lounge and the Community Room, respectively. The Boy's Gym, or North Gym, originally had a balcony allowing for spectator basketball games. Math, science, and English classrooms were added in a southwest wing in 1964, and a new gym was built in 1989. In 1992, South High School was designated as a National Historic Landmark.
