Blume High School Historical Place

Tom Gofourth

The former Blume High School is a historic building in downtown Wapakonata Ohio, United States. Built in 1908 in a mix of architectural styles, it was designed by architects Frank Parkard and W.M. Runkle. It was the first exclusive home of Wapakoneta High School. Prior to that time, WHS was housed with other grades. The original part of the high school was built at a cost of 41,315. In the mid-1920s, it was expanded with the construction of a gymnasium, a library and the \Red Brick Section\ addition; while the last portion was built with money raised from bonds, the library and gym were financed with a bequest from L.N. Blume. Growth in the Wapakoneta City School District resulted in overcrowding by the mid-1950s. After a series of failed attempts, the school board succeeded in winning voter approval for the construction of a new school in 1956, and the new Wapakoneta High School building, which today serves as the Wapakoneta Middle School, opened at the beginning of 1959. Blume was converted into a junior high school for several years, but a 1988 vote resulted in the school's closing by 1990. In 1996, the former Blume High School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its architecture.

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