Right On Schedule Holley-Mason Building Restoration Just In Time For First Day Of School

Hundreds of Lewis and Clark High School parents and students swarmed the Holley-Mason Building Monday to scope out their school’s new home.

School officials held an open house from 5 to 9 p.m., shaking hands and answering questions as families came into the lobby from the rain outside.

People seemed pleased and impressed with the new six-story school at 157 S. Howard, already nicknamed Holley-Mason High.

“This is going to be great,” said one mother, as she and her daughter inspected the second floor. Classrooms occupy the first through fifth floors of the building. The district also leases the basement for storage.

“They’ve done a good job,” said another parent. “Cool, look at the set-up,” said another. Seemingly everywhere, parents were oohing and aahing over new classrooms, large windows and - on the first floor - 16-foot ceilings.

The most frequently asked question, officials said, was whether the school would be ready on time.

The unequivocal answer: Yes.

“We could open today,” said Principal Mike Howson confidently.

Although teachers had only officially started preparing classes Monday, many of the rooms seemed ready.

Furniture was arranged, desks arranged neatly and text books stacked - ready to be issued for classes today.

Some rooms sported new computers paid for with the latest technology levy.

Teacher Andy Lang, who teaches creative writing, debate and English, said his classroom in Holley-Mason was far superior to the room he had at LC, which was right by the freeway.

His new room has better light, high-speed Internet access and a phone - every room in Holley-Mason is equipped with a phone.

“To me, it’s better all around. Consider the alternative,” he said of one of the district’s options for housing students during the LC remodel. “Portables under the freeway.”

Parents might have been concerned about the school opening on time because of the untidy appearance of some areas.

Boxes were stacked up in some hallways and not all classrooms were ready. Some were locked. Construction dust littered corners and window sills.

These messes are to be expected, considering the speed at which crews have been working, school officials said.

Students and parents also wondered aloud about the ceilings and floors, which appeared to be unfinished.

“It looks like a parking garage,” said LC senior Gram Shipley.

Overhead, sprinkler systems and wiring tracts were exposed. Air whistles by in the aluminum air conditioning ducts. Lights shine out of maple wood mounts that are suspended from the concrete ceiling.

Underfoot, the floor in the halls is bare concrete, stained and paint splotched, but shiny as if polished.

Walls that give to the outside are rough, red brick, which contrasts with the clean lines of the clear window panes and smooth maple sills.

In the center of most classrooms are load-bearing concrete pillars that teachers have set desks around.

Many people said they found the overall result interesting and attractive.

“That’s the intent,” said building owner Rob Brewster. “The industrial look is part of the feel of the building,” he said.

The hall floors won’t be carpeted while students occupy the building to avoid wear, Brewster said, though the classrooms do have carpet. He plans to lease the building to businesses when LC leaves, so he wants the carpets to be new then.

Some parents wondered about the sound of trains passing on the viaduct north of Holley-Mason. Classrooms on the second floor are less than 100 feet from the tracks.

Brewster said that special double-paned, argon-gas-filled windows reduce noise from the massive locomotives to almost nothing. He said you could still hear them, but the noise was not distracting.

Holley-Mason was derelict when Brewster purchased the building and cost $5.1 million to renovate. The district contributed $500,000 of that cost and plans to lease the building for two years while LC undergoes a $40-plus million renovation and expansion project.

Another tenant of the building, Fitzbillies Cafe Bakery, opened Monday.

The bakery offers traditional fare as well as new foods targeted toward student tastes, like their new pizza bagels.