CASTLE TOUR. (Top) Members of the community were able to go on tours of the partially completed Stadium High School Jan. 7. (Bottom) School boardmember Connie Rickman, middle, admires the renovated interior of the historic Stadium building.
After a year and a half of construction, select individuals in Tacoma got a sneak peak inside the oldest high school in Tacoma, Stadium, which will celebrate is 100th birthday in September. The $105 million modernization of Stadium is almost two-thirds complete and on schedule.
On Jan. 7, Tacoma School District (TSD) sponsored a tour of the renovated historic building and the newly constructed facility. TSD Community Relations Coordinator Leeanna Albrecht said around 150 individuals participated in the tour, who ranged from members of the Stadium Centennial Foundation to Stadium High School staff members to school board members.
The tours were lead by various people from Krei Architecture, Skanska USA Building Inc., Turner Construction and TSD’s Planning and Construction.
Each tour was scheduled to last 15 minutes, but Albrecht said some took nearly 40 minutes.
Visitors viewed the entryway, library, classrooms, the commons area (formerly the gym), the new gymnasium and the Performing Arts Center (PAC). The smell of paint loomed in the air; dust and debris was all around; and construction workers were hard at work.
The Stadium project, which began in July 2004, includes the modernization of the historic seven-story main building, known as the Castle, construction of the PAC and a new two-story parking garage.
“The purpose of the tours was to give the general public a glimpse into the project and to see the complexity and the comprehensiveness of the tasks,” Albrecht said. She added that visitors were able to learn about “the complexity and the vastness of the project” and see how much they have accomplished thus far and what they have left.
“The tour was successful, and all the comments were positive,” said school boardmember Debbie Winskill. “It looks good, and they’re making progress.”
Pete Wall, planning and construction director, said the project is 65 percent done and will be turned over to the district in phases. The PAC and gymnasium complex is scheduled to be turned over sometime in May. “We’re looking for the Castle building or the historic building to have a staged turnover starting with the lower most floors the first week of June progressively through the top floors, ending the first week of August,” Wall said.
Though the district will have the building, he noted that staff and teachers can expect to move back in the second week of August.
Physical Education teacher Linda Anderson was one of the lucky Stadium staff members who went on a tour. Only 40 spots were available for the staff, and Anderson said the sign-up sheet filled up in less than 20 minutes. “It was quick – it was a feeding frenzy to get a spot,” she remarked. “I felt fortunate to be a part of the group that got our names in quick enough to be on the tour.”
However, she noted that lots of pictures were circulating during lunch Jan. 9. “People who hadn’t gone on the tour got to see a lot of the news things,” she said.
Anderson was quite thrilled about what she saw during the tour and the progress so far.
“I think it’s fabulous – I’m very excited with all the newness of everything,” Anderson said. She explained that she’s a dance physical education teacher at Stadium and that she taught in one of the basement rooms, which used to be a swimming pool that was turned into a wrestling room.
“It was usually a little bit old smelly and had quite a few mice,” Anderson said. “It was really wonderful to see how clean it was, and all the new walls and pipes.
“It was also interesting to see how they configured rooms,” she continued. “The lunchroom is pretty amazing with the upper and lower decks.”
She added that the P.E. Department is excited about the new state of the art gymnasium, “and the auditorium is going to be an exciting place to go and see shows and put on shows – it’s got everything you ever wanted in an auditorium.”
Stadium Booster Club treasurer Edward Raisl was also one of the lucky ones to nab a spot on a tour.
“I had seen the plans and the principal had shown the booster club the architectural drawing, but actually seeing the construction was very spectacular,” Raisl said. “Things like the library, lunchroom, gymnasiums and auditorium exceeded my expectations.
“Those kind of things were lacking in the old school,” he continued. He explained that his daughter had to have basketball practice at 5:30 a.m. in order for the school to schedule the use of the one court by three boys and three girls teams.
In addition, Raisl said, “the auditorium was amazing like going into the Fifth Avenue Theatre or Pantages – it was just beautiful.”
For those who would like to view the tour, TSD Community Relations will be releasing a video of it on DVD, which will be available Jan. 23.
For more information or to reserve a copy, contact Community Relations at (253) 571-1015.
