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building was constructed. The assigned architects, Austin and Shambleau, submitted two architectural designs to the Board of Education. These included both Colonial and English -styled plans; the Board favored the latter -- the Collegiate Gothic (English) style, at the time quite popular among American school architects. The choice of the Gothic style necessitated a name change. The Board had originally planned to call the school "Thomas Jefferson," but decided that a Jefferson school should only be built in the Colonial style and changed the name to Madison. The final contract for the proposed Madison Junior High School was awarded in the latter part of August, 1928. The construction contract was awarded to the lowest bidder, H.G. Christman & Company at $195,099.00. Heating and ventilating contracts were awarded to William H. Burke, who submitted a base bid of $37,021.00. Charles M. Oberlin was awarded the contract for plumbing on the strength of his low base bid of $22,198.00. The electrical work went to the MacGregor Electric Service Company. The new building was occupied by February, 1930. Besides the 525 pupils enrolled in the old Madison School, the new building accommodated 167 students transferred from the temporary school on Foster Avenue in Harter Heights. Total enrollment of the new school was approximately 700 pupils. In addition to students the entire teaching staff of the old Madison school were transferred to the new building. The new staff included a total of 25 teachers. In the new structure a change was made from the traditional type of school to the "platoon system." Madison was the fifth school in the city to adopt such a program. This was an arrangement whereby the students passed from room to room for various subjects. For the first four years of its existence only the first six grades were taught in the school.[2] The Architects Ennis R. Austin and Norman Roy Shambleau were partners in the firm of Austin and Shambleau, one of South Bend's most important architectural businesses during the first half of the twentieth century. Austin was born in Owasco, N.Y. and entered Cornell University in 1882. He graduated in 1886 with a degree in architecture. His early experience was gained in the office of LeBrun and Sons in New York, and later with Tiffany Glass and - Decorating Company. He came to South Bend in 1892 and formed a partnership with Wilson B. Parker under the name_ of Parker and Austin, which continued till 1900. He then became superintendent of construction for the U.S. Treasury Department in which capacity he directed the construction of post office buildings in Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. He resigned his commission in 1906 and formed a brief partnership with Walter Schneider. In 1909 he started the firm of Austin and Shambleau. This firm designed numerous ' buildings downtown, among the most significant of these are the Tower Federal Building, the South Bend Tribune building, the Y.M.C.A., and the Federal Post Office. In addition the partners also designed numerous houses, particularly in the East Jefferson and Miami-Ridgedale areas. Norman Roy Shambleau was born in Canada and lived in London, Ontario, until the age of eleven. He moved with his family to South Bend and -initially worked with Wilson B. Parker and Ernest Young, before entering into