Historic Neighborhood Schools Deliver 21st Century Educationsphlf.org/.../02/Historic-Schools-In-21st-Century.pdf · Historic Neighborhood Schools Deliver 21st Century Educations

Historic Neighborhood Schools Deliver 21st Century Educations

National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities

Constance E. BeaumontMay 2003

Many people equate oldschools with substandardschools, but as hundreds of

school districts throughout the UnitedStates have shown, well-renovated,well-maintained historic schools cansupport a first-class twenty-first-century educational program. More-over, such schools often provide

features lacking in newer schools,such as inspiring architecture, grandauditoriums, large windows, andmeticulous craftsmanship.

The generally smaller size of historicneighborhood schools often meansmore personal attention for stu-dents—something most educatorsfavor and extensive research supports.Their small scale can help them besafer and more secure and also letsthem fit gracefully into residential

neighborhoods. This “easy fit” facili-tates greater involvement by parentsand residents in the school and canmake communities more amenableto passing future bond issues. Theproximity of these schools to estab-lished residential neighborhoods,coupled with the typically pedestrian-friendly layout of the neighborhoodsthemselves, means more studentscan walk or bike to school. Thusstates and school districts can save

National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities1090 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20005–4905 888–552–0624 www.edfacilities.org

Lewis and Clark High School found innovative solutions to preserving architectural character while providing a first-class educational facility.

Historic Neighborhood Schools Deliver 21st Century Educations2

National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities1090 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20005–4905 888-552–0624 www.edfacilities.org

on student transportation costs andinvest more heavily in programsthat foster student learning.

Recent renovations of historicschools in Spokane, Washington;San Antonio, Texas; and Boise,Idaho, illustrate these points andchallenge the notion that well-renovated historic schools cannotmeet modern standards. This articlerecounts the stories of theseschools and concludes with severalbriefer examples that show howcommunities have found creativesolutions to common problems.

Lewis and ClarkHigh SchoolSpokane, Washington

Go to Spokane, and at the base ofthe city’s South Hill neighborhoodon the edge of downtown you willfind Lewis and Clark High School, aCollegiate-Gothic structure com-pleted in 1912. Built with the finestmaterials and ornamented withterra cotta, a crenellated parapet,and a clock tower, the school thatlocals call “LC” was heralded in thepress as the “pride of the city” and

“superior to any other high schoolwest of the Mississippi” soon afterit opened. Look Magazine in 1946designated LC as one of the hun-dred best schools in the U.S. Theschool’s reputation for excellencecontinues to this day. Year afteryear, a large percentage of LC’sgraduates attend college, wherethey generally perform well. SATscores are high. Drawing studentsfrom rich, middle-class, and poorneighborhoods, LC is the educationalhome to an economically andracially diverse student body. Inshort, the school is a community

Historic Neighborhood Schools Deliver 21st Century Educations 3


crossroads and symbolizes dedicationto educational and architecturalexcellence.

By the mid-1990s, however, theschool’s electrical, plumbing, andother systems were failing from age.Some people viewed LC as obsoleteand favored replacing it with a newschool on a larger site. They arguedthat a modern school could not behoused in a 1912 building and that,with less than three acres, LC shouldbe on a larger site. Although athleteshad to ride shuttle buses three milesto reach ball fields, the prospect oflosing such a revered institution gal-vanized a campaign by alumni, his-toric preservationists, and Spokanitesto persuade the school board to ren-ovate LC and build a new additionacross the street. After heateddebate, the Spokane School Districtdecided to save LC and proposed alocal bond issue in 1998 to financeits renovation and expansion. Votersapproved the bond, and the districthired the Northwest Architectural

Company of Spokane to conduct theproject.

Although the building had been wellmaintained over the years, it posedmany challenges. Besides havingantiquated electrical and plumbingsystems, the school lacked air condi-tioning. Its library was cramped; itsscience and athletic facilities, inade-quate. Open stairwells did not meetmodern fire codes. Classrooms weretoo small, and inspectors foundasbestos and lead-based varnishwithin the structure.

Assets Worth Saving

Yet LC had distinctive assets thecommunity wanted saved, includingnineteen “character-defining” fea-tures identified by the SpokaneLandmarks Commission, school dis-trict administrators, and the city’shistoric preservation officer. Amongthese features were a terra cottafacade, craftsman-style woodwork, amagnificent auditorium, handsome

wooden floors, and two open stairwells connecting the school’sfour levels.

Solutions would be found to the vari-ous technical and design challenges.To address fire safety issues posed bythe stairwells, the architects contactedAnthony C. Meister, a fire safetyexpert with FP&C Consultants ofKansas City, Missouri. Using technicalstudies his firm conducted, Meisterdemonstrated that the school’s highceilings and proposed fire sprinklersystem would allow smoke to collectfar above building occupants in a fire,giving them time to evacuate. Hisanalysis meant the school could retaintwo historic stairwells without compro-mising fire safety.

“Right-sizing” classrooms to meet theschool district’s standard of 900square feet required the removal ofnon-load-bearing walls. Instead ofusing heavy “Bobcat®” machinesthat would have over-stressed thewooden floors, the demolition con-tractor employed lighter, robot-like

Nineteen “character defining” features at Lewis and Clark include the now-restored auditorium (left) and two open stairwells. A pedestrianbridge (right) connects the historic and new structures, resulting in a greatly expanded educational facility.



claws to remove interior walls. Thearchitects specified the installation offiber optic wiring for computer net-works, fire alarm systems, and otherequipment in spaces created byinstalling dropped ceilings four feetbeneath the original fourteen-footceilings. This also improved acous-tics. To meet seismic codes, thearchitects used steel to tie floorplates to exterior masonry walls andparapets to the roof structure. Toreduce energy costs, they installeddouble-glazed windows.

An entirely new, but architecturallycompatible, building was constructedacross the street from the original LCstructure. This field house includestwo state-of-the-art gyms (one withseating for 2,000 people), a wrest-ling room, strength training and aero-bics facilities, band practice rooms,and two regular classrooms withsoundproof walls to insulate themfrom outside noise. An undergroundgarage provides 100 parking spaces,while 200 surface spaces are locatednearby. Because the school lies with-in the city’s central business district,it was exempted from creating 150additional parking spaces that wouldhave been required otherwise. A sky-walk connects the original building tothe new one, keeping students off abusy street. Both the old and thenew buildings are four stories tall,have elevators, and comply with theAmericans with Disabilities Act.

It took $41.2 million—$2 million lessthan the estimated cost of a newschool—to complete the renovationand addition. The state contributed$14.2 million; the local bond issue,$27 million. The state also helped bynot pressuring the school to meetstrict acreage standards, which couldhave necessitated the demolition ofnearby homes or forced LC to relo-cate to the edge of town.

T he future of Lewis and Clark High School hung in the balance in1987 when the Spokane School District was thinking about aban-

doning the 1912 landmark for a new school on a new site. RobBrewster, Jr., then LC’s student-body president, was so concerned aboutthis prospect that he wrote the editor of The Spokesman Review: “Takea walk down Lewis and Clark High School’s marble halls,” he wrote.“Look at its marvelous auditorium with its enormous windows and thou-sand-pipe organ. Study the immense paintings by famous artists liningits halls; then ask: ‘Do we preserve or destroy this treasure?’ ”

Arguing that future students would lose nearly 100 years of school tradi-tions and history if LC were relocated, Brewster and others urged theschool district to reconsider its plan. The district did reconsider, andeleven years later Brewster played another important role in LC’s preser-vation by buying and renovating Spokane’s Holley-Mason Building, avacant structure downtown that served as temporary classroom spacefor students during LC’s rehabilitation. Built in the Renaissance Revivalstyle in 1905, the Holley-Mason building was advertised as Spokane’sfirst fireproof building and is listed on the National Register of HistoricPlaces. The nearly century-old structure had been sitting empty fortwenty-eight years when Brewster bought it in 1998.

The school district’s decision to enter into a lease with Brewster, cou-pled with the availability of preservation tax incentives, enabled him toobtain bank financing for Holley-Mason’s $4.5 million renovation. Thebuilding’s historic status triggered a twenty percent federal rehabilitationtax credit as well as a ten-year property tax abatement allowed byWashington State for rehabilitated historic structures. These tax incen-tives were critical to reclaiming Holley-Mason.

The award-winning renovation generated 150 local construction jobs aswell as sales tax revenue on materials purchased locally during the proj-ect. At the end of the ten-year property tax abatement period, the cityexpects to more than recoup foregone taxes. Now that students havereturned to the LC site, Holley-Mason functions as a high-technologycenter, employing 650 people. The building also houses a new high-tech high school made possible by the Bill and Melinda GatesFoundation and Brewster. By reclaiming a derelict building, the SpokaneSchool District and Brewster not only provided temporary student spacebut also helped the city rejuvenate a blighted area.

Another Historic Building Saved



The site, expanded to five and one-half acres with the new addition,remains small compared to that ofmost new high schools. LC PrincipalMike Howson sees the school’sdowntown proximity, which was pos-sible because of its small size, as adistinct advantage. “Field trips, men-toring, work-study programs—we doall these things just by walking,” hesaid. “The city center offers manyresources.”

“This place is just great,” Howsonsaid, speaking in general about therenovation. “Attendees at a workshopwe recently held said we shouldcharge admission for people just toenter the building. If you simply bull-doze a school, you lose so much tra-dition and support from the commu-nity. That takes years to regain.”

Students, teachers, and the local cit-izenry also seem pleased with theresults. LC’s hallways are bright andshiny. Classrooms are equipped withthe latest technology. The buildingmeets modern life-safety and accessrequirements. And yet dozens of fea-tures—a pipe organ purchasedthrough student donations back inthe 1920s, marble statuary on stairlandings, artwork on the walls—dis-tinguish LC from most nondescript,big-box schools of today. Any visitorwalking up the school’s marble-stepped entrance can see that LChas a long and distinguished history.

A Satisfied Community

When the Spokane School Districtheld an open house in August 2001, more than 15,000 peopleturned out to celebrate LC’s reopen-ing. The crowds were so large thatthe celebration had to be held overthree days. According to NedHammond, director for planning and

capital projects, LC’s renovation hasgenerated such positive public senti-ment that the school district hasaccelerated the timing of anotherbond issue from 2007 to 2003.

Historic Schools In San AntonioSan Antonio, Texas

Nearly half the schools in the SanAntonio Independent School District(SAISD) are historic. As is truethroughout the country, theseschools generally are small and nes-tled into the communities they serve.Many are architectural gems and asource of neighborhood pride. “Youcouldn’t afford to build buildings ofthis quality today,” says Paula Piper,former president of the San AntonioConservation Society (SACS). “Prom-inent architects built these schools.Everything now is generic. Our his-toric schools weren’t generic; theyreflected our culture.”

But an assessment of school facilityconditions conducted in 1996 bySaldana Associates revealed that allninety-two schools in this district,including forty-two historic schools,needed improvements. Many schoolsrequired new roofs, electrical sys-tems, and infrastructure to supportcomputer technology. Overcrowdingwas so bad that nearly every schoolhad to use portable classrooms. Afew schools needed total replace-ment, and a school bond hadn’tbeen approved in nearly thirty years.

Many of San Antonio’s historic schoolsmight have faced the wrecking ball in

Many of San Antonio’s schools, such asJefferson High School, are architecturalgems and sources of neighborhood pride.



1997 when the district began devel-oping a request for voter approvalof a $483 million bond issue. Butenlightened school officials, preser-vation advocates, and local citizenswith an appreciation for history pre-vented this from happening.

An Architectural Survey

Worried about the prospect of los-ing schools that had anchoredneighborhoods for generations, JodyWilliams, a former teacher and vice-president of SACS, surveyed SanAntonio’s historic schools. Williamsthought that if the school districtunderstood its schools’ historic and

architectural significance, perhaps itwould consider renovation ratherthan replacement. As she noted,“After World War II, schools werenever again built with such fine work-manship, quality materials, or wealthof ornamental details in stone, terracotta, and tile.”

Williams personally visited all theschools in the district, photographedthem, and explored their histories.She exhibited her research andnumerous photographs in a detailedarchitectural survey, which was vali-dated and enhanced by local archi-tectural historians. SACS presentedthis information to the schooldistrict, recommending that forty-two

of the ninety-two buildings be pre-served and renovated with assis-tance from the bond issue.

Appreciating Renovation’sBuilt-In Cost Benefits

The school district, meanwhile, cre-ated a citizens advisory committeeto help shape a comprehensive capi-tal improvement program and bondrequest for the 1997 ballot. CharlesJohn, a restoration architect on thecommittee, recalls explaining tocommittee members how theschools could be repaired andbrought up to modern standards—often at lower cost than new



construction. “No one could arguethat the buildings did not needrepairs,” John said. However, with newconstruction, he explained, as muchas twenty-five percent of the cost liesin preparing the site, laying the build-ing foundation, and installing utilities.Another twenty-five percent goestoward the building structure—itsframing, walls, and roof. “With an his-toric building, you already have thosecomponents in place,” John said. “Soright off the bat you are fifty-percentto the good on your budget.” It alsohelped to juxtapose photographs ofhistoric schools with those of newerones—especially schools built in the1970s and 1980s. “The contrastbetween the beauty and distinctivecharacter of the historic schools andthe ugliness of the newer ones wasstartling,” he said. “Finally, we empha-sized the importance of the schools'history and the legacy left by thosewho had gone before, many of whosekids were now going to the schools.Over time, people picked up on these

arguments and reinforced them withthe school board.”

Both Williams’ survey and the involve-ment of preservation architects on theadvisory committee made a difference,according to Kamal Elhabr, associatesuperintendent for bond construction.The SACS survey showed which schoolbuildings were significant. “It’s impor-tant to identify what is historic andwhat isn’t,” Elhabr said. “Most peopleinvolved in the school facility assess-ments [conducted to guide decisionsabout construction] are not historicexperts. They do need this informa-tion.” He believes that preservationarchitects influenced the school dis-trict’s decision to renovate rather thanreplace as many as eight of the forty-two historic schools that were saved.

The advisory committee’s acceptanceof the preservation recommendationsalso was aided by the recent renova-tion and expansion of BonhamElementary School, an historic land-mark dating to 1893. In 1996, thelocal firm Alamo Architects had com-pleted life-safety, accessibility, andother improvements to the mainBonham building while creating awell-designed two-story addition. Thehistoric King William neighborhoodserved by the school was happy withthe results. The Bonham projecthelped people visualize what couldbe accomplished through renovation.As Ann McGlone, the city’s historicpreservation officer, explained, “Itprovided a visual aid.” This was

important because many people havedifficulty imagining how an olderbuilding, especially one that hasbeen allowed to deteriorate, can betransformed into cheery, light-filled,well-functioning space.

Bond Issue

By the time the bond issue wasready to go before the public, theadvisory committee and the schooldistrict had agreed that San An-tonio’s historic schools should bepreserved and renovated. Accord-ingly, the district included funds toimprove all forty-two of the historicschools that had been identified inthe $483 million bond issue (thelargest bond in Texas history at thetime). Because of the school dis-trict’s willingness to include SACS in the planning process—and to consider renovation options—SACSendorsed the bond issue.

On September 27, 1997, the bondwas approved by a vote of 9,673 to4,394.

As the bond program proceeded, theschool district selected architecturefirms, choosing several with experi-ence in rehabilitation. This wasimportant to the preservation com-munity because architects experi-enced only in new construction oftenmishandle historic building renova-tions or unnecessarily inflate thecosts of such projects. “Many firmsthat only have experience in newconstruction do not understand thenature of rehabilitation work,” saidCharles John. “They don't understandhow to do it. They don't understandwhat is necessary or—probably evenmore important—what you shouldn’tdo to a building.”

Facing needed improvements for 42 historicschools, San Antonio completed an exten-sive architectural survey that documentedimportant features, such as quality materi-als and a wealth of ornamental detail instone, terra cotta, and tile.

The now-being-renovated Jefferson HighSchool, shown here, exhibits the kind ofarchitectural detailing and quality workman-ship that is difficult to duplicate today.



Improvements to Schools

Since the bond issue passed in1997, virtually all of San Antonio’sschools have undergone improve-ments, and about eighty-percent ofthe projects are complete. Improve-ments have included the removal ofasbestos and lead paint as well asthe installation of air-conditioning,elevators, fiber optic cable, firealarms, sprinklers, call-back commu-nications systems, and rampsdesigned to improve school access.

To meet the school district’s standardclassroom size of 850 square feet,certain classrooms were enlarged,with space acquired in some casesby narrowing the corridors. To createlarger libraries where necessary,classrooms were combined. TheTexas Education Agency and SAISDshowed flexibility regarding classroomsize. “We’ve accepted that someclassrooms in historic schools will be750, 850, or 900 square feet,” saidassociate superintendent KamalElhabr, “but the schools can manageissues relating to these sizes. Ratherthan putting twenty-two students in a750-square-foot classroom, theschool might limit class size there toeighteen.” Given the nationalgroundswell for smaller schools andclass sizes, where students receivemore individual attention, this seemsan acceptable compromise, but itcontrasts with the attitude of somestate education departments andlocal school districts, whose rigidstance on classroom size require-ments often condemns historicschools to demolition.

Steven Souter, an architect withMarmon Mok, a local firm selectedto work on fifteen of the historicschools, attributes the good resultsin part to the willingness of city build-ing code officials to use the Uniform

Code for Building Conservation inassessing the facilities and determin-ing the scope of work needed. Byallowing for certain trade-offs, thiscode makes it easier (and less costly) to preserve and renovate his-toric buildings without compromisingsafety. Modern building codes often-times rule out older building materi-als and methods, even though thelatter may result in buildings as safeas new ones.

SAISD Board of Trustees PresidentJulian Trevino reports that teachersand students are excited about therenovation results, and he commentsappreciatively on the amenities oftenfound in historic schools—such asbig windows. “I once served as prin-cipal at a school with almost no win-dows,” he said. “It resembled fourhuge shoe boxes and was not con-ducive to learning.”

Elhabr, too, is upbeat about theresults: “I receive many complimentsabout the fact that we didn’t docookie-cutter designs. We met thecommitment that we set out for our-selves to preserve our historicschools. I wouldn’t have done it anyother way.”

A Heritage Preserved

Instead of demolishing its collectionof older schools, SAISD listened toSan Antonians, who asked that theirheritage—and the many small, com-munity-centered schools so impor-tant to the health of city neighbor-hoods—be preserved. At the sametime, the school district advanced itsgoal of improving classroom spacefor students, teaching facilities forteachers, and safety and access foreveryone. Because virtually everyschool in the San Antonio districtunderwent improvements, parents,

students, teachers, and principalswere pleased with the results.

“There is no way you could duplicatesome of the buildings we are restoring,”said George Watson, SAISD projectcoordinator. Noting the fine detailsand craftsmanship evident in the his-toric schools, he added, “We don’tbuild ’em that way today.”

Boise High SchoolBoise, Idaho

The Clegg family chose to move toBoise, Idaho’s historic North Endneighborhood in 1980 largelybecause it had an elementaryschool, a junior high, and a highschool within walking distance of ahome they liked. To Elaine Clegg,mother of five, the ability of her chil-dren to walk to schools was a hugedraw: “I remembered from my ownchildhood how wonderful it was to beclose to a school. Here in the NorthEnd, our grade school is just fourblocks away; our junior high, one and



a half blocks; and our high school,five blocks.” The Cleggs wanted theirchildren to be able to readily partici-pate in all the activities that mightinterest them. At the same time,they hoped to avoid having to chauf-feur their kids everywhere—or havingto buy another car or two when thechildren reached their mid teens.

Proposed Closing

By the early 1990s, one of theschools serving the North End—BoiseHigh School—faced being shut down

and replaced with a new school onthe so-called Les Bois site in south-east Boise, nearly five miles away.Built in 1912 to house no more than1,200 students, Boise High now wassplitting at the seams with an enroll-ment of 1,800. Moreover, theschool’s electrical wiring neededoverhaul. Cracks in the auditoriumceiling, inadequate fire exits, andnumerous other deficiencies prompted the Boise School District to rethink the school’s future.

Boise High had played such animportant role in the city that talk

about its possible closing sparkedvigorous debate. Alumni and non-alumni living in Boise held strongattachments to the school. One rea-son for that was the school’s elegantauditorium, which had served fordecades as the venue for musicalevents, including community concertsunderwritten by the ColumbiaBroadcasting System. These hadattracted world-class artists likeMarian Anderson and Jascha Heifetzand helped make the school itself acity cultural center. Boise High wasthe city’s oldest, most diverse high

Boise High School had played such an important role in the city that citizens mounted a campaign urging the school district to retain “OldMain,” the pedimented structure above. Today it houses humanities classes, including drama performances in its renovated auditorium (left).



school, and its reputation for aca-demic excellence had helped keepthe historic North End neighborhoodstable and economically healthy.With its Ionic columns and gracefuldesign, the building lent beauty anddignity to the city. “People like theway it looks,” says Charles Hummel,a prominent civic leader. “Boise Highhas always had a special place in thehearts of Boisians.”

A local architect’s plan to remodeland expand Boise High might haveovercome the school’s physical prob-lems and alleviated overcrowding, butit also would have exceeded theschool district’s budget. So the con-stituency for a larger school on thethirty-four-acre Les Bois site grew

stronger. Moreover, many peoplethought that investing to renovatesuch an old school was akin to“pouring money down a rat-hole,” asone school board member put it.

Wouldn’t it be great, the thinkingwent, to have a completely newschool on a large site with abundantland for parking and ball fields? Theentire faculty and student body couldbe kept together. A bigger schoolwould support more course offeringsand enhance prospects for winningmore athletic contests through alarger pool of athletes. By contrast,the Boise High site was limited toeleven and one-half acres, whichmeant that students playing certainsports had to shuttle between the

school and ball fields. Parking was ahassle. And the old building hadnumerous physical deficiencies.

A Citizen Campaign

Many parents of Boise High studentswanted the school kept, and theymounted a campaign urging theschool district to conduct a moreaffordable renovation and to build anew, smaller school on the Les Boissite to accommodate the swellingenrollment. Together with the NorthEnd Neighborhood Association(NENA) and other community lead-ers, they researched and presentedthe school district with alternatives toBoise High’s abandonment. NENAmembers in particular feared that los-ing such an important anchor wouldhurt property values and diminish thearea’s sense of community.

The addition at Boise High School alleviated overcrowding at the school while respecting itsarchitectural character. “Old Main’s” Ionic columns were repeated in the new building(above), but with a contemporary flair. The plaza at right unifies the old and new buildings.



While acknowledging that BoiseHigh’s small campus precluded theconstruction of parking lots and ballfields, NENA touted the benefits ofhaving two smaller schools. Perhapsthe schools wouldn’t win as manyathletic championships, but morestudents would have the opportunityto participate in sports, music,drama, and other activities. Smallerstudent bodies would permit greaterinteraction among teachers, princi-pals, and students. Although theneed to shuttle athletes from BoiseHigh to ball fields located off-campuswas admittedly inconvenient, theinconvenience paled in comparisonto the cost, trouble, and extra trafficinvolved in busing (or driving) virtuallyall the students every day to andfrom a new, remote school.

In the end, NENA’s recommendationswon out, and in 1995, the schooldistrict approved $13.5 million to

renovate Boise High and build ascaled-back high school on the LesBois site.

The Renovation

Hummel Architects, a local firmwhose founders had designed thestate capitol as well as Boise High,won the design contract and beganwork in 1996. Because the originalBoise High structure, known as OldMain, was still occupied, Hummelstarted by constructing a new addi-tion next door to alleviate the over-crowding. To minimize noise and dis-ruption during work on the addition,the architects specified noise barriersseparating the construction site fromOld Main. By 1998, Boise High hada new, 81,050-square-foot structuredesigned to harmonize with the origi-nal building’s classic architecture,such as its Ionic columns, whichwere repeated in the new buildingwith a contemporary flair.

Next came the Old Main renovation.Here, improvements to accessibilityand fire safety were paramount. Tomeet requirements imposed by theAmericans with Disabilities Act (ADA),the architects added an elevator andramp, and they removed one bath-room stall in order to enlarge another.

To improve fire safety in the mainbuilding, the architects’ design addedsprinklers, smoke detectors, a base-ment exit, and a new stairway,according to Eddie Daniels, projectmanager at Hummel Architects. Theyalso reconfigured building wings toeliminate dead-end corridors andconverted third-floor and basementclassrooms into storage areas—spaces that can be reclaimed forclassroom space in the future byerecting a stair tower. Air-conditioningwas installed to improve comfort.With Boise High’s renovation in mind,

the city adopted the Uniform Codefor Building Conservation to makethe renovation process easier andless expensive.

Today the new addition houses sci-ence, computer, and math class-rooms, a media center, a cafeteria,and an auxiliary gymnasium. OldMain accommodates all the humani-ties classes, including art, drama,language, and history.

The new addition cost $6.2 million,or $76 per square foot; the Old Mainrenovation, completed in 2000, cost$5.7 million, or $38 per square foot.Expenses for the new addition camein $2 million under budget. The savings was used to renovate OldMain’s auditorium. Besides bringingthis space up to modern standardsfor life-safety, handicapped access,and comfort, the architects creatednew lighting and sound systems forbackstage and converted a third bal-cony into a modern control room,which also helped meet exitingrequirements.

Parking and Transportation

To address parking and transportationchallenges posed by Boise High’stight site, the school district askedcommunity members and students tooffer solutions. Among suggestionsthat were implemented:

• adding more bike racks toencourage students to bike toschool;

• offering free passes for stu-dents on city buses, paid for bythe school district;

• creating a special parking dis-trict to provide a balancebetween student and residentneeds.



A city ordinance creating the parkingdistrict was necessary because theschool district needed to claim partof a public right-of-way for a specialpurpose. The parking district yielded425 on-street parking spaces for stu-dents. Each semester, sophomores,juniors, and seniors compete for thespaces by lottery, which is weightedto favor students who carpool. Aspace costs $5 per semester. Thecity enforces the parking program. Anadditional thirty-five spaces weremade available through an agree-ment with a nearby church.“Because the city and school districtwere able to work together to estab-lish the new parking system,” saidPaula Forney, a Boise City Councilmember, “the school district nolonger needed to buy houses to teardown so they could add parking lots.The result is a much healthier neigh-borhood.” This outcome illustrates

the value of cooperation between cityagencies and the school district.

In the meantime, a new school—Timberline High—was completed onthe Les Bois site. Students wereallowed to choose between the twoschools. Boise High’s now-reducedenrollment of 1,150 students fitsmore comfortably in the school,which still has room to grow. Despitethe school’s smaller size, it remainscompetitive in extracurricular activi-ties. In 2002, for example, theschool won three state champi-onships—in swimming, girls’ basket-ball, and debate.

A Prime Location

There are many advantages to BoiseHigh’s location on the edge of down-town and the historic North Endneighborhood. Through a short stroll,government classes can reach thecourthouse and the statehouse for

their field trips. Students can get totheir internships with downtown busi-nesses simply by walking a fewblocks. Many students take advan-tage of the YMCA just across thestreet. The school board’s willingnessto hold public hearings and encour-age research into solutions to chal-lenging problems contributed signifi-cantly to the consensus ultimatelyreached over Boise High.

Ken Anderson, Boise High’s principal,was originally skeptical that theschool could be made state-of-the-art, but now he sees the advantagesof the renovation and the existenceof two smaller schools versus one bigone: “In the beginning, I wonderedwhether we shouldn’t be looking at asite where the school could haveadequate ball fields and parking. Butnow I think that what we have ispretty special—a state-of-the-arteducational facility and a smaller



school where you get to know thekids better. I know most of the stu-dents’ faces. The building is veryuser-friendly. Kids appreciate theschool. And teachers feel good aboutit, too. It was a great decision to stayhere.”

Zach Clegg, a recent Boise Highgraduate, and Elaine Clegg’s son, ispleased with the outcome as well:“The school is within walking dis-tance for a lot of students. If youneed a haircut, you can get one rightdowntown. There are lots of places tohave lunch downtown. At Timberline,you have to drive everywhere.Everyone who stayed at Boise Highloved it. I’m glad they made thatchoice.”

Creativity andConviction OvercomeChallenges Around the Country

The preceding stories illustrate howthe cities of Spokane, San Antonio,and Boise overcame major obstaclesto the preservation and modernizationof older, valued neighborhood schools.A few additional examples of schoolrenovations, noted below, illustratehow school districts, architects, plan-ners, and others have creativelyaddressed different barriers, includingsuch widespread problems as:

• unfamiliarity with techniques forbringing older structures up tomodern codes;

• funding biases that favor newconstruction over renovation;

• daunting acreage requirementsfor schools; and

• the notion that a new buildingis inherently better than an oldone.

Seismic Requirements

Seismic requirements are among thechallenging building code issues thatlimit the lifespans of older schools.But they can be met. BassettiArchitects did so in the firm’s renova-tion of Seattle’s historic Franklin HighSchool. This five-story structure, builtin 1912 with unreinforced brickmasonry, now meets current seismicrequirements, as does a new four-story addition. The school emergedunscathed after the NisquallyEarthquake in February 2001, whichmeasured 6.8 on the Richter scale.In celebrating the school’s reopeningin 1990 following its renovation, theprincipal commented, “Although theoriginal Beaux Arts style building was

completed in 1912, the 1,600 stu-dents who stepped into the renovat-ed school last fall after two years ofexile…were, without question, enter-ing the newest and best-equippedhigh school in the district.”

Accreditation Issues

A visit by Massachusetts state edu-cation officials to the beautifulFairhaven High School in Fairhaven,Massachusetts, caused them torethink the state’s policy of not fund-ing the renovation of any schoololder than fifty years. In this case,they made an exception and allowedwhat townspeople called “The Castleon the Hill” to continue serving thecommunity as a school. Although theschool faced loss of accreditation in1992 because of outdated sciencelabs, inadequate sports facilities, andother deficiencies, a renovationundertaken by Flansburgh Associatesof Boston has brought the buildingup to contemporary educational stan-dards. The original building, whichfeatures Italian marble floors, oakdoors, stained glass windows, andcarved ceilings, has been painstak-ingly restored, while a new additionhas more than doubled the availableeducational space.

Funding Biases

A policy in Ohio of withholding statefunds from school renovation projectsthat cost more than two-thirds of theexpense of a new school discouragedschool districts from updating historicschools. But in Greenfield, Ohio, resi-dents worked with Triad Architects ofColumbus to have the rule waived topermit renovating the historic EdwardLee McClain High School. Thisschool, built in the Georgian Revivalstyle, was created in 1914 byEdward McClain, whose modest

The reborn Boise High School is anenergetic “people place,” as shown inthese views.

The hallway at left was transformedfrom a dark basement space into a livelystudent passageway.

Students enjoy Old Main’s rich architec-tural legacy in the course of everydaystudent life, whether changing classesor rehearsing a drama production in theornate, historic auditorium.


family circumstances required him towork in his father’s harness shop asa young man. There he invented adetachable horse-collar pad thateventually made him rich—richenough to finance the school’s con-struction and outfit it with works ofart. The school, with its renovationcompleted in 2001, still enjoys deco-rative tiles at the drinking fountains,a courtyard flanked by pillars andfountains, marble sculptures, and anart gallery of 165 masterpieces.

In a move toward better stewardshipof existing schools, Pennsylvaniaeliminated its “sixty-percent rule,”which, as with Ohio’s “two-thirds

rule,” once favored new constructionover the renovation of existingschools. Controversy surrounding thePennsylvania rule boiled over in1994 soon after residents ofBrentwood, Pennsylvania, learned itwould mean losing two beloved ele-mentary schools. In protest, theConcerned Citizens of BrentwoodBorough worked with PreservationPennsylvania, Inc., to persuade thestate department of education tochange the rules. In 1998, the statenot only rescinded the 60 percentrule but also modified its policyagainst funding the renovation of anyschool built with wood-frame con-struction. So long as such schools

pose no increased safety risk, theyare permitted. Brentwood’s historicMoore Elementary School now hasbeen renovated and continues toserve the neighborhood it hasanchored since 1923.

Acreage Requirements

Though well-intentioned, acreagerequirements often force school dis-tricts into two bad choices: eitherdestroy the neighborhood they aretrying to educate or build “sprawlschools” on remote sites to whichfew children can walk. Such require-ments threatened the historic LoganElementary School in Columbia,

Although renovating this 1930 Georgian Revival school could have saved the state and school district several million dollars, demolition of theKirk Middle School in East Cleveland, Ohio, began in January 2002. Erected on land donated by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and modeled afterIndependence Hall, the school was considered by many to be one of the city's finest and most important civic buildings.




South Carolina, in the mid-1990sbecause the school, which occupiesonly four acres, could not meet thestate’s edict requiring seven acres forelementary schools. But after theschool district obtained a waiver fromthe acreage requirements, theBoudreaux Group, a local architectur-al firm, completed a $7.9 millionrenovation in 1999. The project hasnot only solved space, technology,and building code issues, but hasalso improved neighborhood propertyvalues, once on the decline, andencouraged reinvestment in the area.

Differences Overcome

The conversion of racial discord intoracial harmony helped save Miami’svalued Edison Middle School, whichwas slated for demolition in 1992. Adecision by the Dade County SchoolBoard to tear down this 1928 land-mark sparked a conflict betweenwhite residents, who wanted to save

the school, and black (mostlyHaitian) residents, who favored amodern replacement. A multi-racialgroup called One United Band helpedresolve people’s differences and con-vinced the school board to save thebuilding. In 1997, R. J. HeisenbottleArchitects of Coral Gables restoredthe original building, including its ArtDeco auditorium, and added a newaddition to meet current needs. (Theproject earned an award in 1997from the National Trust for HistoricPreservation.) After helping toupgrade the school facility, OneUnited Band then created the EdisonLinkage Foundation, which now sup-ports a tutoring program enablingacademically skilled high school students to serve as role models and paid tutors to middle school students.

Magnets for Sprawl or Anchors For Civic Life?

Not every valued or historic schoolcan or should be renovated. But toomany schools are casually con-demned by biases that favor newconstruction, by school facilityassessments that reflect little exper-tise in the rehabilitation of olderbuildings, and by ignorance of basictechniques for helping older buildingsmeet modern codes and programrequirements. In early 2002, the his-toric Kirk Middle School in EastCleveland, Ohio, became a casualtyfor these very reasons. One of thecity’s most distinguished landmarks,the school was demolished and cart-ed off to the landfill without so muchas a serious evaluation of theschool’s potential for renovation.

Too often, ADA, fire safety, and otherimportant requirements are used as

an excuse to demolish a valuedschool when in fact these require-ments frequently can be met at areasonable cost. Too often, smaller,community-centered schools thathave held neighborhoods togetherfor decades are destroyed withoutcompetent evaluations of theirpotential for continued use throughmodernization. But the Lewis andClark High School in Spokane, theBoise High School in Boise, and themany historic neighborhood schoolsin San Antonio and other cities pro-vide eloquent rebuttals to the notionthat older schools cannot be adapt-ed to meet modern educationalrequirements.

Lakis Polycarpou, a young graduateof Columbine High School inColorado, strikes home when hewrites:

Of course we will always needsome new schools. But wehave a choice in how we buildthem. Will they carry a senseof permanence, dignity,respect for education and thepublic life? Or will they beinterchangeable and dispos-able? Will they be built as thecenter of a community—ananchor for civic life—or willthey be put on the outskirts oftown as magnets for sprawl?

The choice is not merelybetween the old and thenew—it is between the digni-fied and the undistinguished—the enduring and the dispos-able. It is a choice betweenthoughtless replication ofsprawl and the consciousdecision to invest in civic life.

Policy Safeguards Renovation Potential

In July 1996, the Boise SchoolDistrict adopted a policy gov-erning the closing of existingschools. Among other things,the policy states that beforeclosing a school, the schoolboard must consider a school’spotential for renovation, thepotential environmentalimpacts of school closings, andthe impact of student and staffdisplacement, including trans-portation costs entailed withthe new facilities and staffreassignments.



Resources

The National Trust for HistoricPreservation is a nonprofit organiza-tion chartered in 1949 by Congress.With more than 200,000 members,the Trust works with preservationadvocates around the country to pro-tect America’s cultural heritage. Inresponse to pleas for help from citi-zens all over the country, the Trustlaunched a major Historic Neighbor-hood Schools Initiative in 2000.Through this initiative, the Trust hasproduced several resources to helpcommunities reclaim and upgradeendangered historic schools to meetstate-of-the-art standards and twenty-first century educationalneeds. Such resources include:

• A Community Guide to SavingOlder Schools, by KerriRubman. National Trust forHistoric Preservation, 2000.http://www.preservationbooks.org/showBook.asp?key=172

• Why Johnny Can’t Walk toSchool: Historic NeighborhoodSchools in the Age of Sprawl,by Constance E. Beaumont withElizabeth G. Pianca. NationalTrust for Historic Preservation,2000. http://www.nationaltrust.org/issues/historic_schools.html

• Historic Neighborhood Schools:Success Stories. National Trustfor Historic Preservation, 2002.http://www.nationaltrust.org/issues/schools/studies.html

• Saving Ohio’s HistoricNeighborhood Schools: APrimer for School PreservationAdvocates.http://www.heritageohio.org/advocacy/0725_HistoricSchools.htm

About the Author

Constance Beaumont is director forstate and local policy at the NationalTrust for Historic Preservation andauthor of Why Johnny Can’t Walk toSchool: Historic NeighborhoodSchools in the Age of Sprawl.

Acknowledgements

The National Trust for HistoricPreservation acknowledges generousgrants from the National Endowmentfor the Arts and the 21st CenturySchool Fund, leader of the FordFoundation-funded BEST Collabora-tive < http://www.21csf.org > whichhelped make possible the researchfor this publication. The author alsogratefully acknowledges assistanceprovided by Jim Gardner, SydneyBecker, and Emma Panahy.

Additional Information

See the NCEF resource lists BuildNew or Renovate?, Condition ofAmerica’s Schools, PreservingHistoric Neighborhood Schools, andRenovation online at http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/

Reviewers

Barbara Diamond, Marc Fetterman,Mary Filardo, Jack Lyons, JanellWeihs, and William Brenner.

Sponsorship and Copyright

Published by the NationalClearinghouse for EducationalFacilities (NCEF), an affiliate clearing-house of the Educational ResourcesInformation Center (ERIC) of the U.S.Department of Education. ©2003 bythe National Clearinghouse forEducational Facilities. All rightsreserved. James B. Gardner, Editorand Publisher.

Photo Credits

Lewis and Clark High School: Photoscourtesy Northwest ArchitecturalCompany, P.S., Shawn Toner, exteriorviews, Joe Manfredini, interior views.

Jefferson High School: Photos courtesy Ford, Powell & Carson, Inc.,Architects & Planners, Robert Rios,photographer.

Boise High School: Photos courtesyHummel Architects, P.A., DeborahHardee Photography.

Kirk Middle School: Photo by KevinG. Reeves.

Availability

NCEF publications are availableonline for viewing free of charge and may also be ordered at http://www.edfacilities.org/pubs/or by calling 888-552-0624 (toll-free) or 202-289-7800.

http://www.preservationbooks.org/showBook.asp?key=172

http://www.nationaltrust.org/issues/historic_schools.html

http://www.nationaltrust.org/issues/schools/studies.html

http://www.heritageohio.org/advocacy/0725_HistoricSchools.htm

http://www.21csf.org

http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/

http://www.edfacilities.org/pubs/

Documents

Historic Neighborhood Schools Deliver 21st Century Educationsphlf.org/.../02/Historic-Schools-In-21st-Century.pdf · Historic Neighborhood Schools Deliver 21st Century Educations