Old Middletown High School’s bricks go free, fast from demolition site

The old bricks that held up the former Middletown High School since 1923 are now scattered throughout the area as former students, staffers and fans of the beloved Middies scooped them up.

The building, which spent its last years as a middle school for the city school system, shut down in the spring and last month demolition started on the block-long structure where Middletown’s prep sports powerhouse fame in the 20th Century drew national attention.

Bricks from the many connected buildings that made up the school campus — bordered by Curtis, Girard and Baltimore streets — have been made available to the public for free, and workers on the site said they are picked up almost as quickly as they are piled up.

“A couple of thousand have been put out and they are all gone. They go quick,” said Paul Williams, demolition project manager.

The bricks are placed on pallets periodically during the week, with Tuesdays being the most likely day former Middletown Middies, memorabilia fans and those just seeking free bricks can pick them up, said Williams.

There is no limit as to the number of bricks people can have.

“I’ll refill the pallets as long as we have bricks that are in decent shape,” said Williams, who added the pallets can be found along the Baltimore and Girard street sides of the campus. “There are plenty of bricks.”

The demolition site is otherwise fenced off for safety reasons.

The school was Butler County’s oldest.

Middletown’s new middle school, which opened last month, is now located on the modern and recently renovated high school campus.

Williams estimates the demolition of the entire former school campus will be done by early December.

“A lot of school staffers are picking up the bricks. A lot of family members who have graduated from here are picking them up for memories,” Williams said. “It’s a big thing.”

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