Demolition of old H.O. Brittingham school begins
Demolition crews have begun work taking down the old H.O. Brittingham Elementary School in Milton.
Brian Bassett, director of capital projects for the Cape Henlopen School District, said asbestos abatement has been completed on the inside of the school, and work has just begun on removing the brick exterior from the building. He said interior demolition has started, and the intention is to have the building completely demolished by the end of the year. Once the building is removed, Bassett said, the fields and additional site work can then be completed.
The original H.O. Brittingham Elementary School was built on Mulberry Street in 1966; a new, larger school was built behind it and opened in 2018. The old HOB was used during the last two school years as a temporary site for Milton Elementary School before that school’s renovations were completed in time for the 2020-21 school year.
The school is named for Herman Oscar Brittingham, who spent more than 30 years as an educator in Milton before retiring in 1969, just before the Lewes, Rehoboth Beach and Milton school districts were merged to create the Cape Henlopen School District. The Mulberry Street school was named for Brittingham in 1977.
Ryan Mavity covers Milton and the court system. He is married to Rachel Swick Mavity and has two kids, Alex and Jane. Ryan started with the Cape Gazette all the way back in February 2007, previously covering the City of Rehoboth Beach. A native of Easton, Md. and graduate of Towson University, Ryan enjoys watching the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Capitals and Baltimore Orioles in his spare time.
