I like the look of the outside of the building anyway. I wouldn't like to see any pollution coming out of those smoke stacks, but at the same time I do like the look. That could just be because I grew up in an era when smoke stacks were more common and so they are a little nostalgic. In my hometown many of the older schools used to have smoke stacks. They stopped using them decades ago but kept them until finally knocking them down recently, claiming that it was because kids would try to climb them and it could be dangerous.
Guess the chimneys were essential back in those days for a power station and it's not like protecting the environment was high on the agenda then!! It's a pity that your hometown had to pull down the chimneys at the old schools, I imagine the buildings would have looked very nice with them intact, health and safety precautions gets a bit too much sometimes