Greenwood Elementary

Modernization Project Brings School Back to its Original Roots

By Sheila Bacon

If the Greenwood Elementary School's original architects were alive today, it's quite possible their drawings for the nearly 100-year-old school's renovation and new additions would come close to matching those created by it's modern day designers.

The east- and west-facing exterior walls of the original Seattle school, constructed in 1909, were originally built with unfinished brick; quite different from the north- and south-facing walls, which included much more detail and finish work.

"The sides of the building were almost ready to accept future wing additions," said Lee Fenton, project architect with Burr Lawrence Rising and Bates (Tacoma, Wash.). "It's ironic that 100 years later, we're finally doing that."

The two classroom additions flanking the original school structure aren't the only changes happening at the school, located at the corner of NW 80th Street and 3rd Avenue NW in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood. The new construction - which also includes a gymnasium, play shed, stage, lunchroom and library - totals 36,000 sq. ft. The new additions compliment the existing 24,000-sq.-ft. school building which has been completely gutted, seismically upgraded and fully rebuilt to support classroom and office space.

Other improvements to the property include a new staff parking lot, a renovated play area and a reconfigured student drop-off area.

Moving Dirt

Work on the project started last summer with demolition that included the removal of a boiler room behind the school and an approximately 5,500-sq.-ft. classroom building on the west side of the school. That classroom addition, built in 1921, jutted out to 80th Street, obscuring the original structure's grand main entrance from the west. One of the two new wing additions replaces this former wing, but brings it back flush with the original building's south-facing entry. While the two new wings flanking the 1909 building are going up, Wick Constructors (Seattle) crews are simultaneously building the lunchroom, stage and gymnasium structures along NW 81st Street, behind the school.

The construction team is also continuing work on the interior of the 1909 building. Once its interior was completely gutted, its existing unreinforced masonry walls were tied into the floors, lined with rebar cages and covered with between 4-in. and 12-in. of shotcrete to seismically stabilize the structure. The interior is being entirely rebuilt and upgraded to comply with current building codes and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, including a new mechanical system and the installation of an elevator. To preserve classroom square footage, significant structural improvements were added to the main east-west running interior walls, reducing the size of the vast, 14-ft.-wide hallways to a still generous 12 ft. Some north-south running walls were also relocated to make classrooms bigger.

History Repeats Itself

Before any work began on Greenwood Elementary, the project's architect, the school district's design review committee and neighbors of the school were meeting and discussing options for its future. Even though complete demolition and construction of an entirely new school was an option, it wasn't a popular one. Early on in the process, sentiment pointed towards preserving the school's historical nature while still creating a campus that would fulfill the needs of a 21st century student body.

"We got strong direction from the school board that the school is a significant historical icon in the community," said Lee Fenton, project architect with Tacoma, Wash., architectural firm Burr Lawrence Rising and Bates. "Whatever we came up with, it had to celebrate the history."

Designers kept that in mind when presenting options. One idea involved keeping both the 1909 building and the 1921 building, but leaving the 1921 wing addition in place hindered plans for required programs. An early design, which kept the original 1909 building in place and flanked it with similarly designed wings on its east and west sides and additional new construction at the rear, proved to be the favorite option.

Even though retaining the history of the school was important to the school's decision makers, Greenwood Elementary surprisingly isn't listed on any resister of historic buildings. This exclusion made designing changes to the building easier for architects and eliminated the red tape and strict guidelines that often go hand-in-hand with altering a registered historical building. Architects were able to enjoy a certain amount of freedom, such as designing new windows to simulate existing windows instead of being required to replicate historic aspects down to the minute detail.

"We had the benefit of not being strapped to the requirement of following certain guidelines," said Fenton. "We were able to really make it work structurally and redo some of the basic area layouts."

Still, the exterior of the 1909 building is changing imperceptibly from its original design. Ornate masonry at the building's main entry is being retained and pinned to the structure with helix anchors, lessening the chance of the heavy details separating from the building in an earthquake. Crews are reinstalling the original windows in the 1909 building, and windows in each of the wing additions will closely match the originals. Numerous historical items that were salvaged from the school before work started - including chalk boards, some cabinetry, tile artwork and signs - will be reinstalled in the school once the project is complete.

The Greenwood Elementary renovation and addition has been exciting for the project team.

"It's fun to see something 100 years old up and standing," said Ryan Rudolph, Wick project engineer, "especially after we tore it down to the bare minimum."

During the $15 million project, Greenwood Elementary's staff, administrators and 223 students, in Kindergarten through fifth grades, are attending school in the district's nearby McDonald Building on NE 54th Street in north Seattle, said Lynn Steinberg, Seattle School District spokesperson. Students will return to Greenwood Elementary this fall, just in time for the 2002-03 school year.