By Finn B. Radner
March 24, 2023
Wood paneling against the left wall of the old cafeteria.
During my exploration of DHS for the Hidden Hallways series, I have gotten to explore a variety of other rooms throughout the school that did not fit into any specific article. However, these areas still serve a variety of unique functions and provide a number of insights into DHS history.
To begin, between the E-Wing and the auditorium is a large area which today serves as the town maintenance department. However, when the school was built, this large room served as the cafeteria. Upon the completion of the new cafeteria, it served as an auto shop for some time before transitioning to its current role. With paneling similar to that of the auditorium and large windows across the back wall, it is fascinating to imagine that in the past DHS, students ate their lunch here instead of the cafeteria we knew today.
Next to a door which once led to the cafeteria, parts of the word "cafeteria" can be seen on the wall to the left of the door, although most of the word has been scratched off. What was likely another door has since been totally blocked off by a display case.
The Door to the town facilities and maintenance department, which once led to the cafeteria.
A display case, where a door to the old cafeteria was likely once located.
A construction vehicle can be seen in the old cafeteria.
Adjacent to this room is the audio-visual lab, a room that once was used as the serving line for the cafeteria. Today, the room is carpeted over and its walls are darkened to improve video and sound quality. However, when it was built, it likely would have been similar in design to the current serving lines at DHS.
To the right of this room from the hallway is a small storage closet which likely once served as an entryway for this room. From inside, the bricked over doors that once led to this area can be clearly discerned.
The Closet past the Audio Visual Room with the blocked off wall clearly visible.
Partially shown is another bricked off wall connecting to the Audio Visual Lab.
The Town Maintenance Department Office and Break Room.
Behind the audio visual lab is the office of the maintenance department, a room which likely once served as the kitchen. It is difficult to imagine that this room, with its homely design and sky-blue walls, was once likely a hectic kitchen serving a school of over 2,100 students.
However, the maintenance department was not the only area I got to visit. In the upper level corridor between the two gyms, I was able to see a ventilation unit for the back gym. Notably, the signage within this room holds an allusion to the fact that a long time ago, the two gyms were separated by gender , with the ventilation unit being labeled as the “boys gym fan vent,”
In addition, to the right of this room are the wide doors to what was once the pool bridge, a defunct structure that I will leave for a future Hidden Hallways article.
The Fan Used to Ventilate the Gym.
Air Ducts in the Ceiling of this Closet.
The doors to the old Pool Bridge.
The doors to the old Pool Bridge up close.
On this tour, we also passed by the CAD Lab. While this room is not closed off to students, I will still include it as it is an area that many students have never gotten to see during their careers at DHS. In fact, this was my first time seeing this room.
The CAD Lab.
On this leg of the tour, we also got to briefly visit the roof of DHS. From one of a few closed off ladders throughout the school, I was brought up to see the field of gravel that covers the top of DHS. There wasn’t much to see here other than a few packed up solar panels for maintenance and a somewhat unique view of the track and field.
However, in the distance, Scotty did point out a set of metal boxes above the D-Wing—the RTUs or Rooftop units. There are a variety of these above the school, supplying the building with warm and cool air for climate control.
Folded Up Solar Panels on the Roof.
The Track and Football Field from Above.
More Roof.
The RTUs from the Roof.
The RTUs from inside DHS.
A Closet with Roof Access.
Lastly, I quite recently got to visit a small closet in the upper level of the A-Wing that once served as a girls restroom. This skeleton of a restroom hasn’t been used once in living memory, having been closed years ago due to a plumbing issue. For years, it was used for storage, with a shelf and old desk still being present in the room. However, much of the storage has been removed from this room, and rumors are circulating that it may be reopened in the future to serve as a boys room to make up for the large girls room in the B-Wing. (I would personally suggest that this room be turned into a unisex restroom).
Mirrors and Exposed Plumbing in the old A-Wing Restroom.
Stalls in the old A-Wing Restroom.
The Outside door of the Old A-Wing Girl's Room.
These areas of the school may seem insignificant, but they shed a fascinating light on the complexities of running Dedham High School and the unique history of the building we inhabit. So, I would suggest that when you happen to see any of these doors on your way to class, you take a moment to consider the unique histories that lie behind them.
Meet the Writer!
Meet the Writer!
Finn B. Radner, Class of 2023, is the opinion editor for the Dedham Mirror. He is the President of the DHS Math Team, Editor-in-Chief of ECHO Magazine, and a member of the DHS Science Team.
Mirror Reporters Fiona McCafferty, Keira Murphy Clinton, and Suada Xhabija contributed to this article.
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