Construction starts on new Adams Elementary School

With the 116-year-old schoolhouse now razed, construction of a new Adams Elementary began on Thursday.

The old brick school located at 37th Avenue and Regal Street was once the oldest school in Spokane Public Schools that still housed kids. During demolition and construction, Adams students have been learning at the old Jefferson Elementary not far from the dirt mound that was once Adams. Principal Beth Nye has been involved with planning to replace the school since 2009, back when she was a teacher there. People often ask if she’s sad to see the old school go, she said.

“My quick answer is ‘No,’ but, yes, it is a little bittersweet to see it come down,” she said. “But as I’ve always said, the building is not the stone. It’s the people that make the building.”

Tearing it down was among the first projects the district started under its $200 million bond voters approved in November. Plans for the replacement and contractor expenses were already paid for under the district’s 2018 bond, hence the relatively quick turnaround, said senior adviser Mark Anderson.

The Boys and Girls Club is a partner on the new build. It’s intended to be part school, part youth center for the club; the new building will have classroom space for school hours and an attached childcare facility for the Boys and Girls Club. The Boys and Girls Club will contribute the proceeds of its former facility on Providence Avenue that the organization plans to sell.

The district selected Garco Construction to lead the replacement project at the maximum price tag of $31 million, the school board approved in March. Construction is expected to wrap in time for students and staff to move in before the 2027-28 school year.