Hutton Elementary voted onto Spokane historic register

A fully restored and expanded Hutton Elementary School, originally built in 1921, has been placed on the Spokane Register of Historic Places by the City Council.

The $29 million project involved demolishing additions from 1949 and 1956. They were replaced with a modern expanded wing at the rear of the school.

Designers key in on preservation and renovation of the historic 1921 and its adjacent 1931 wings on either end.

The fully preserved facade is the only example of Spanish eclectic design in Spokane, said Jim Kolva, historic preservation consultant who wrote the nomination for the school’s listing.

“Stucco walls, red barrel tile gable roof, arcaded entry and windows, exposed timber brackets and narrow shed roof, and chimney tower, are elements of a Spanish eclectic design,” Kolva wrote in the nomination.

School officials stressed that an important part of the project was to add parking space to relieve traffic congestion in the neighborhood during drop off and pick up periods.

In developing the project, designers and school officials worked with members of the neighborhood.

“The entire process went very well in that neighborhood,” said Kevin Morrison, director of community relations for Spokane Public Schools.

He said the project stayed on budget and on time. The project dates back to the district’s 2009 school bond.

Students and staff returned to the building earlier this school year after construction was completed.

Garco Construction of Spokane was the general contractor and MMEC Architecture of Spokane did the design work.

The school is named after early-day philanthropist Levi Hutton, one of the owners of the Hercules Mine in North Idaho and founder of the Hutton Settlement Children’s Home.

The school was nominated based on its contributions to the patterns of history in Spokane, specifically in education, and for its distinctive architecture.

The school is also a contributing property in the Rockwood National Historic District.

The 1921 construction was designed by master architect Archibald Rigg and his partner, Roland Vantyne, according to the local nomination.

The school replaced the one-room Rockwood School built to the west in 1917.

Hutton Elementary follows Lewis and Clark High School, John R. Rogers High School and Finch Elementary School onto historic register designations.