Westmount Public School

During the First World War, the population west of Park Road grew, and the needs for additional schools increased. Discussions began in 1917 to help remedy this, and by 1918, it was decided that a new school, School Section (S.S.) #10 would be constructed on Park Road North, above Saguenay Avenue.

The opening of the first Westmount school saw great attendance, and it was clear from the beginnings that the size of the building was inadequate as overflow students had to be taken in at other area schools.

In 1925, a new school was constructed, heartily supported by the community. The original building was closed for school use by 1927, when it was then used as a municipal office for East Whitby until 1951. Following this, it was used as a store house by the Parks Commission until it was finally demolished to make way for apartments.

The new Westmount Public School was built upon four acres, west of Park Road on Pine Avenue. A basement had been added in 1959 and one or two portables were added to aid in the ever-growing population at the school.

In 1988, the Durham District School Board sold the building to the Oshawa Centre for $1.04 million, and the board leased the building until 2017. In the years between, the school was home to Durham Alternative Secondary School (DASS). Students could do their work on their own time and at their own pace. In 2017, DASS relocated to the former Village Union Public School on the corner of Gibbs and Simcoe.

With the Westmount building vacant and with expansions and renovations taking place at the Oshawa Centre, the building was demolished in 2018. Components of the building, including the sign, were incorporated into a feature at the mall.

With information from:

J Douglas Ross, Education in Oshawa: From Settlement to City (1970).

Olive French, Education in Oshawa (unpublished manuscript), (1967), accessed via: https://olivefrench.wordpress.com/2011/10/01/park-road-north-school-no-10/ 

https://www.durhamregion.com/news/council/oshawa-s-westmount-public-school-set-to-be-demolished-this-summer/article_47b46ed5-bd2a-58ff-8a82-700faea480de.html