BUILDINGS and GROUNDS
The primary building of Highland Heights started out as a three-storied structure with an additional functional basement. The basement housed the kitchen and dining areas (the refectories) and a Sister's Community Room. There were three floors of classrooms, common rooms, dormitories, sleeping quarters for the nuns, a chapel, and offices. A small, fourth floor area contained a small clinic.
In 1896, a boy's wing was added to the building. It had three floors and included a functional basement as well. The first floor above the basement housed the youngest children, those from kindergarten to third grade. They were officially referred to as the Junior Division, but they were commonly called the 'Baby Boys.' They had a day room with a few round tables with chairs and one other bench-like table. The room was also furnished with a couch and some easy chairs, and the Sister in charge had a desk and work table in one corner. Along the walls, bookcases and cabinets were placed in which all manner of books, toys, and games could be found. Rows of lockers for personal belongings divided the day room from the wash area. The wash area was set up with sixteen sinks, and a set tub at one end. There was also a toilet area set apart from the day room by a stairway. The stairway was equally as accessible from the other two levels and ultimately opened to the outdoor playground area.
Going out of the first floor dayroom at the side opposite from the outdoors, there was a hall and an internal stairway leading to the basement as well as the upper floors. A door was also located on the first floor, from the stairway to the outside. Beyond the hall was a rear entrance into the chapel.
The baby boys shared dormitory space with the 'Upstairs Boys' on the second floor, but both divisions had their own designated sleeping area. The Intermediate Boys, also known as the 'Upstairs Boys', were on the second floor and the division was comprised of those in grades four and five, and occasionally a few sixth graders. The floor plan for the Upstairs Boys was similar to their younger counterparts down stairs. The main difference was the location of their dormitory, which was across a hall and above the chapel. In addition to the two stairways, there was a fire escape on one side of the day room, which also led down from the third floor.
The third floor was occupied by the Senior Boys, also known as the 'Victory Boys.' That division consisted of sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth graders. Occasionally a boy would remain at Highland Heights into tenth grade, but only under rare circumstances. Their dormitory, like the second floor, was located across from their day room. In each of the dormitories there was another toilet area with commodes, urinals, and sinks. However, the Baby Boys also shared the dormitory bathroom facility, which was a bit larger, with the Upstairs Boys. Another stairway led from the dormitories down to the first floor, just outside the regular entrance to the chapel, and one more level to the basement.
The girl's wing was added in 1906 and followed a pattern similar to the boy's wing. The main difference was the inclusion of an auditorium on the girl's side rather than the chapel on the first floor. The divisions were identified in much the same way and each of the divisions had their own day room and bathroom facilities, without urinals, and the dormitories followed the same floor plan, including the extra stairway all the way to the basement.
The biggest difference between the girl's and boy's wings was the layout of their living quarters. It was on the second floor that a dayroom was provided for kindergarten through third grade girls, much like the first floor of the boy's wing, with a few fourth graders from time to time. On the third floor there was a dayroom that could be defined as a loosely divided area of two rooms for the fourth through eighth grade children and an occasional ninth grader. Lockers separated the dayroom from the wash areas as well. Also, similar to the boy's wing, the girl's wing had the dormitories on the second and third floors.
A makeshift dentist's office was found near the auditorium. Also near the auditorium was a nun's communal area where the nuns gathered to socialize, do sewing and embroidery or make repairs to their habits. The resident nuns had their own apartments scattered throughout the dormitory areas on both the girl's and boy's sides. Each contained their own bathroom facilities. The resident chaplain had his own apartment as well.
The classes and offices remained throughout the original building on all the floors, and the infirmary was expanded in the middle, fourth floor. Kindergarten was conducted for both girls and boys in one of the small basement rooms in the girl's wing. Some time later, the class was moved to an area just behind the girl's refectory. With the completion of the two wings, the entire main complex depicted a 'U' shape with a large, cobblestone courtyard tucked within the basement level.
From there a set of stairs rose to the first level playground, which was more than one-half concrete, with the remaining area left as dirt and grass. The concrete area had a central curbed section with some sparsely planted, low profile foliage that served as a dividing point between the boy's and girl's side. Also on the girl's side, extending from the edge of their wing, was a full laundry facility. Beyond that was a garage and maintenance building.
BASEMENT
In order to get to the basement, one came down an internal stairway from each of the dayrooms on the boy's side. While it was within the building, it was rather open, more like a fire escape. There was no heat to this stairwell. At the bottom, when you turned right, a hall led to the shower room. There was also a door at the base of the stairs leading out into the cobblestone courtyard. In a fairly large room, the showers were comprised of approximately twenty-five showerheads with piping in an open ceiling. There was only one control for all of the showers, and showers were taken en masse by each of the divisions.
The bathing arrangements for the girls consisted of a private room on the two upper floors with a single bathtub in each. While being monitored by the house mother or her assistant, several girls would bath, one at a time, with the same water before it was replaced with fresh water for a few more girls. With girls standing in line, waiting for their turn, the procedure continued until all the girls in the division had bathed.
Just before one went down the hall to the boy's showers, on the left there was a door to a room known as solitary. Those children who were totally incorrigible might be placed in the room for a few hours or even a couple of days. Inside was a bed, toilet, sink, table and two chairs. It would be locked from the outside.
Going left at the bottom of the stairwell in the boy's wing would take you to the refectory (dining area). There were a few rooms lining the wall on the left. One was used to set up a barber shop during haircuts; others were used for storage or other activities. It is believed the Cub Scouts had their meetings in one of the rooms. Just before turning left into the refectory, an elevator was on the right that went all the way up to the third floor. The direction of access to the basement areas would be just the opposite on the girl's side, with the Brownies troop utilizing one of similar rooms for their meetings.
In the refectory there were circular tables with bentwood chairs that generally seated six people, although not all of the chairs were taken at each table. The Baby Boys had their own little area with windows that opened to the courtyard. The Intermediate and Senior Boys and Girls had a larger area within the center section of the complex although, as was usually the case, the two divisions were assigned a separate section of tables. Table assignments were strictly adhered to. The dining area for the nuns was located between the girl's and boy's refectory with the added location of the kitchen facing the courtyard acting as additonal separation of the genders. In each of the childrens' refectory areas there was a great serving table at which lines were formed for meals to be served.
SURROUNDING GROUNDS
Just to the west of the boy's wing, with a driveway into the first level playground separating it from the main building, a large gymnasium was built with a regulation-size basketball court within.
Lots of gymnastic equipment was also available inside, along with a weights room with a conservative assembly of exercise equipment. The north wall of the gymnasium adjoined the dirt/grass area of the playground and was used as a backstop for improvised baseball games. Along the western edge of the first level was a low wall framing a rising area of shrubbery leading up to the second level where a clay tennis court sat on one side of a set of stairs going up the hill while a scaled-down baseball field was laid out on the other side. Continuing across that level, another set of stairs was constructed into another shallow wall to gain access to the third level where swings, seesaws, climbing equipment and gazebos that were referred to as summer houses were found. A full-sized baseball diamond with spectator bleachers was also on the third level.
There was a sandstone wall along the southern side on Highland Street and the eastern, Edgehill Road side of the property. From just past the western edge of the gym up the hill and continuing to the north on Prospect Street, a chain link fence added a few more feet of vertical protection to the property and children who entertained themselves on the two upper levels. The chain link fence continued on the northern border of the property, separating the complex from neighboring residential homes.
From the top of the hill there is a great view of East Rock, a three hundred and sixty-five foot tall rise in the land about two miles away. With its war memorial monument on top, it paints a picturesque image of the area. At the foot of the rise and spreading out toward Highland Heights, most of the homes surrounding the former orphanage property were upscale residences comprising an area known as the historic Ronan-Edgehill Neighborhood.