Project Info
Services:
Architecture
Planning / Master Planning
Project Management
Interiors
Construction Administration
Size:
18,930 SF
Location:
Seattle, Washington
Project Details
Originally built in 1914 and added onto in 1922, North Queen Anne School is one of the oldest schools in the Seattle Public School District. In 2014, the building was vacated by the NW Center which had occupied the facility for 30 years. Considering its age, the building needed a significant amount of work to meet building and energy code requirements as well as interior improvements to meet the District’s specifications. Additionally, it was to be the home of the Cascade Parent Partnership (CPP), an Alternative Learning Experience program that partners with parents to create, oversee, and direct individual student learning plans.
Balancing the amount of work needed with cost and schedule constraints, a two-phased plan was implemented that prioritized the work to allow the school to re-open while taking into account planning for future renovations. The first phase was completed in 2015 to prepare the building for CPP. Phase II began in 2019, which included workshops with the School Design Advisory Team (SDAT) and with the students, to convey the primary project goals as well as to determine additional priorities that met the evolving needs of CPP.
The final work included seismic, mechanical, electrical, fire protection, and envelope upgrades; replacement of interior floors, ceilings, and casework; reconfiguration of program spaces, including the relocation of the school administration area to the main entrance, with increased visibility to the entrance and parking lot; addition of exterior doors in the arts and science classrooms for direct access to outdoor areas; and addition of relites and a foldable glass wall to the commons/lunchroom that opens to the corridor, providing both natural light and the ability to enlarge the space for school gatherings.
Hidden Gems: Surprise Find During Demolition Brings 1938 Graduate Back to North Queen Anne School
Construction workers found a peek into Seattle Public Schools history when a demolition team uncovered a surprise hidden behind a wall at North Queen Anne School: a blackboard containing the signatures of multiple people and dated Jan. 31, 1938.
Who were these people? The lists of names were clearly grouped, leading to speculation that the names on the left were students and those on the right belonged to staff members.
No matter whose names were on the blackboard, this was a fun find. SPS posted the image to social media in April, and someone recognized the name of a former neighbor. That person reached out to the neighbor’s family, and soon the project manager had a visit from the daughter of one of the people who signed the chalkboard — Ardelle Blunt, who graduated from eighth grade at the school that January. Sadly, Blunt passed away in July 2021, but her daughter enjoyed the opportunity to reflect on her mother at age 14.
Friends Forever
Other names included on the blackboard were Blunt’s best friends, Ruth (Ruthie) Hanson, Reidun Gunderson, and Marguerite (Polly) Angelis. These four had been friends since second grade, and they were moving up to Queen Anne High School together.
“I was told by my sister that they staggered the classes graduating, so half of them graduated January … and then the others were six months later,” said Blunt’s daughter who visited the school to see the chalkboard.
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