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Restored Roosevelt High School opens to rave reviews

By Debera Carlton Harrell
P-I REPORTER

There was talk Tuesday of smart schools and smart boards and even Phil Smart, but students said the best thing about Roosevelt High School's new $93.8 million renovation is this -- they were in no hurry to leave.

It was Roughrider Day, which for any other school means orientation. But Roosevelt, a school steeped in tradition and refurbished with help from community pressure and a responsive Seattle School Board, is clearly not just any school. Its transformation from a dark 1922 building to an airy, light-filled, high-tech campus left kids' mouths agape, as much in awe of their new surroundings as for chatting up friends and comparing classes and lunch periods.

"When I first saw it, my jaw just dropped," said senior Mackenzie Argens, who like her other classmates suffered the older school as a freshman, then exile to Lincoln High during the two-year remodel.

"It's bright, it's inviting, it's beautiful," Argens said. "Areas like the new commons -- no one ever went there when it was a cafeteria, but now people want to go and just hang out."

"Everybody's pumped up about the new school," said Davey Friedman, senior class president. "The old building really had this feel like nobody really cared about it; it really did look like a prison, a dark dungeon. Now, the library -- you want to go sit and read, it's the perfect place. It's like they designed it so we can learn better."

Linda Lesnik, whose daughter, Lauren, is a sophomore, summed up the new school.

"It's the 'Street of Dreams' school," said Lesnik, who was volunteering Tuesday to help direct orientees to the new sky-lit library (formerly a theater), the new (state-of-the-art, 750-seat) theater, the new spacious commons, and the office, where administrators wore the same green-and-gold, school-color necklaces as the students.

Roosevelt's worth-saving history was shared by such notable alumni as former U.S. Sen. and Gov. Dan Evans, former King County Executive Randy Revelle and former City Councilwoman Sue Donaldson. Before they became famous, a number of artists, athletes and celebrities were Roughriders, including musicians Michael McCready (Pearl Jam) and Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses), actor Richard Karn ("Home Improvement"), author Dave Guterson ("Snow Falling on Cedars"), former NBA star James Edwards and former NFL quarterback Hugh Millen.

Carter Davis Bagg, northwest regional coordinator of construction programs for the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, said Roosevelt is the latest in a small but growing state trend of refurbishing historic schools instead of tearing them down. Stadium High in Tacoma is opening its doors this week after a $106 million restoration -- believed to be the most expensive in the state. Garfield and Cleveland in Seattle also are undergoing historical renovation, following West Seattle and -- years ago -- Franklin High. The state's School Construction Assistance Program provided $9.1 million for Roosevelt, which has city landmark status.

Bagg said whereas seismic, technology and safety upgrades are the common drivers behind school remodeling, communities are increasingly trying to save old schools, even when it costs more to do historic renovation.

"Seattle is a national leader, at the forefront of this movement of saving community schools," said Lorne McConaghie, principal in charge of the project for Bassetti Architects in Seattle.

Lani Johnson, a member of the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association who was also on the school design team, agreed.

"It was very important to the neighborhood to save Roosevelt, but also to see the building brought up to meet the operational needs of a modern school," Johnson said.

Still, some in the community felt the preservation effort did not go far enough.

"I haven't toured it. I couldn't bear to," said Chris Jackins, coordinator of the Seattle Committee to Save Schools, who wanted the auditorium saved as it was (it was converted to a library with skylights restored from its original status as a theater).

But for others, Roosevelt was -- and remains -- a treasure.

Phil Smart Sr., class of '37 and founder of the eponymous Seattle auto dealership, toured the school recently, admiring the many historical elements -- from brick to woodwork to hand-restored murals in the mocha-colored foyer.

The man whose home voice-mail greeting is "Go Teddies!" said he had flashbacks to Depression Era school days when he earned the lead in school plays, hankered for a letterman's sweater and learned French, thanks to Miss Russell.

"What struck me was what they (the architects) retained of former times," Smart said, noting the restored proscenium -- the classical frame for the former stage -- and other saved architectural details.

"It seemed to put its arms around me and say, 'Welcome back; you didn't do too badly with what we tried to teach you,' " Smart said. "It's emotional for me; this school changed my life during the Depression years."

But the school looks to the future, too. The library is a shared space of books and computers, opened up by skylights that brighten three stories of adjacent classrooms through windows that replaced the former theater's walls. The latest technology, including "smart boards" -- the interactive replacement for blackboards -- will enhance student learning, principal Chuck Chinn said.

"It's just a beautifully done school; it will enhance learning and boost morale," Chinn said. "People have said it feels more like a college."

By CHRIS DANIELS / KING 5 News

SEATTLE -
The Seattle School District unveiled its newest renovation Wednesday morning, opening the doors to Roosevelt High School in northeast Seattle.

"Everything was dark, the stairway was worn down," said former student Ruth Sinton, class of 1942.

But now the home of Seattle’s Roughriders is shining bright. The almost $94-million project was funded by a 2001 voter-approved building levy. The school, originally built in 1922, looks almost nothing like its former self. A new library stands where the auditorium once did and there is a new football field, commons, and 700-seat concert hall. Although the school was completely gutted, it did recycle some of the original material, including the original marble from the locker room showers, which is now part of the library countertop.

Seattle School District superintendent Raj Manhas says the pricey overhaul was badly needed, given the school hadn't had a makeover in 80 years.

"I think it is time for us to replace these beautiful facilities for learning and these are for generations to come, so $90 million feels like a very high number, but when you spread it over 80 years, it is the right investment,” Manhas said.

The new look is making students excited about returning to school next week and it is making grads like Sinton wish they could start all over again.