Sad end to historic

then aged 14, appeared before a sheriff and admitted starting the Logie fire. The sheriff remitted the boy to the Children’s Panel.

The council had to pay £126,000 to demolish the building, but only £30,000 was covered by insurance.

One of the reasons given for an above-inflation rise in council house rents in 2002 was the increased cost for fire insurance due to the two school blazes.

The demolition marked a sad end to a school which was opened with a gold key by then Scottish Secretary of State, William Adamson.

At the ceremony Mr Adamson congratulated the people of Dundee and said the city had done very well in recent years in improving its housing.

The adjoining Logie estate’s four-flat blocks, designed by renowned city architect James Thomson and centred on a treelined avenue, became Scotland’s first council housing scheme and the first estate in Europe to have a district heating system when it was opened in May 1920 by Lord Provost Sir William Don.

The heating system, decades ahead of its time, would not only provide houses with hot water from a central boiler house but would also keep the pavements clear of ice and snow in winter.

A report in the Courier stated that relatives of the tenants would visit them on Sundays for the luxury of a free hot bath!

Mr Adamson said Logie Central School would supply a variety of courses, based on a sound general education, well adapted to diverse talents, and able to be completed within the three years the pupils would be at the school.

He congratulated the members of the authority on their enterprise in “providing this admirable school” and the boys and girls on being “privileged to carry on their studies under such pleasant conditions”.

“In this day a new era is dawning for society,” he said.

“When lasting peace has been secured, the international struggle would but assume a new aspect.

“The well-trained brain would count for more than the sharpest sword.

“In order to prepare her future citizens for such changed conditions of living, it was imperative that this land of ours – Scotland – should maintain her pre-eminence, in education, and thus equip her sons and daughters for rendering efficient and mutual service in the

Inside the fire-damaged school Within a very short time the school had become engulfed in flames.