A history of the Pittsford Sutherland High School

The "new" Sutherland High School is nearly completed and it might be interesting to look back at its beginnings and earlier years.

Adolph Lomb built a large cement, brick faced, fireproof home at the corner of Sutherland Street and West Jefferson Road in 1911. It served as his summer retreat for over twenty years. Adolph died in 1932 and his mother, Emilie Lomb inherited the house and all of the land contained on the farm. Mrs. Lomb sold the total package to Nazareth College in 1936 in which was planned a "model school." Nazareth College sold 46 acres of land to the newly centralized Pittsford School District in 1946 for $62,000. The Lomb House was extensively remodeled in 1950-52 and used as a school building until 1957 when it was greatly enlarged and changed to become the Administration Building for the District.

Ground was broken for a high school in 1950 and construction began. Carl Ade, a noted Rochester architect was chosen to create the plans for the new school. When it opened in 1952, it housed classrooms for students in fifth through twelfth grades with the remainder of the enrollment of 849 students in classrooms at Lincoln Avenue School. An addition was constructed in 1960. A new high school was scheduled to be opened in 1971; Pittsford Mendon High School was built in 1972.

In 1969, when these pictures were taken, Pittsford Central Schools "looked to the past with a feeling of pride and accomplishment and to the future with anticipation for the many advances yet to come."

In 1968-69 there were 81 teachers on the faculty with 8 clerical staff.

The courses offered were: English, social studies, science, mathematics, foreign languages including Latin, French Spanish, German and Russian; industrial arts, homemaking, business, art, music, driver education, physical education. Athletics included swimming, football, soccer, cross-country, basketball, wrestling, skiing, baseball, track, golf, and tennis. The handbook advised that these programs as well as intramural sports were open to all boys, However girls intramural sports were open to all girls.

It is interesting to note the changes to the Pittsford School System in the past 40 years.