Gary School Superintendent William Wirt made the Ralph Waldo Emerson School the first use of his new Work-Study-Play system of education, a "Whole Child" philosophy that drew international attention to Emerson. The building opened in 1909 and included an auditorium, gymnasium, pool, and even a zoo. St. Louis architect William Ittner designed the school. There were over seven laboratories, separate band and orchestra rooms, art studios, and rooms for industrial and household arts. Athletic facilities, advanced for their time, included an indoor swimming pool and an upstairs running track.