Construction of new Adams Elementary expected to start within 50 days

Demolition is underway on Spokane Public Schools’ oldest schoolhouse.

Through the passing of a $200 million November bond initiative, the 116-year-old Adams Elementary on the South Hill is being replaced with a new building, along with Madison Elementary off of Division Street at Franklin Park.

“If you drive by Adams today, you’ll see structures coming down,” said Adam Swinyard, the superintendent of Spokane Public Schools. “They’ve removed some of the portables, the gym from the main structure has come down, and they’ll continue to do that process. We’re hoping that new construction could start in the next 30 to 50 days.”

Swinyard estimates that students will be able to move into their new school by the start of the 2027-28 school year. Currently, Adams Elementary students are taking classes at the old Jefferson Elementary, nicknamed “Camp Adams.”

Swinyard said they’re rebuilding Adams Elementary closer to 37th Avenue and Grand Boulevard from its current location to maximize the amount of green space available. With a more significant buffer from the traffic flow, the hardtop and playground will be pushed closer to the neighborhood for “better community access.”

Because of Adams Elementary’s history in the community, some bricks have been set aside for nostalgic purposes. Swinyard mentioned there have been rumors of time capsules, most between 30 and 50 years old, that school officials have attempted to pull from the ground. Unfortunately, most of what’s left of these time capsules is “pretty much mush.”

Swinyard spoke about the rising cost of building materials and construction prices in the past few years, but said the construction of Adams, since it was designed in a failed 2018 bond package, has not been impacted.

“Historically, we’ll design a building in a previous bond package, so that we have a building ‘shovel ready’ when the bond passes,” Swinyard said.

He said the two main variables they take into account when planning for a new project are the projected tax rate and the speed in which a project can be completed to beat inflation. Balancing those two factors is paramount to ensuring a school project, whether it’s construction from ground zero or the renovation of an old building, goes successfully.

Adams Elementary is one of four Spokane Public schools that are “significantly past their youthful life,” Swinyard said. As of now, their focus is directed primarily toward Madison Elementary and Adams. According to a consent agenda for March 4, the guaranteed maximum price for the Adams Elementary Replacement Project, as negotiated with Garco Construction, is nearly $31 million.

In that same agenda for the Wednesday meeting, NAC Architecture was selected to complete modernizations to North Central High School.