The school was built in 1895 to designs by Warren P. Skillings and James M. Corner in the popular Richardson Romanesque style, with additions in 1899, 1902 and a 10-room south wing and auditorium by Edgar Blair in 1916.
At my initial visit, the school had been closed since June of 1981. Desks and chairs were stacked in the corridors. My footsteps on the maple floors echoed in the empty classrooms. Light shone through the tall, multi-paned windows onto blackboards where the final messages of the last school year remained.
I leaned against a wall and imagined what the school must have been like nearly 90 years earlier, when it first opened its doors to girls in starched dresses and boys in pressed trousers and bow ties.
West Queen Anne School is a very different place now. Its conversion to residences in 1984 by the architectural firm of Cardwell/Thomas, inspired by a feasibility study done by the Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority, was the largest privately financed rehabilitation and reuse project of its type in the Northwest. It became a national model for salvaging surplus schools.
The lunchroom, auditorium and classrooms of the building are now comfortable studio, one- and two-bedroom units. The cavernous attic, rising nearly 30 feet to the pitched roofs, easily accommodates two-story living rooms and lofts. Balconies are discreetly slipped into the roofs so they are barely noticeable from the street. And the views are superb.
On the afternoon of Sunday, May 5, an open house at West Queen Anne School will give visitors a glimpse inside former classrooms in this Seattle landmark to see how differently people shape living spaces to suit their tastes and interests. The public will appreciate the appeal of living in a building that recalls its history at every turn.
The open house is part of a two-week celebration of Queen Anne Hill history and architecture presented by Historic Seattle with the cooperation of the Queen Anne Historical Society, Seattle Architectural Foundation and the Special Collections, Manuscripts and Archives Division of the University of Washington. (See sidebar for a complete schedule of events.)
West Queen Anne School carries its heritage with it. Copies of vintage photographs by Asahel Curtis line corridor walls, reminding visitors and residents that children once drew and made cut-outs, constructed birdhouses and baskets, cooked and quizzed in the classrooms and played games on the asphalt playfield that is now landscaped and green over an underground parking garage.
For nearly a century, the high ceilings and tall windows provided healthful light and ventilation for children. They do that now for a new group of occupants - singles and couples, ranging in age from their mid-20s well into their 70s. There are artists, flight attendants, lawyers, bankers, engineers, dental assistants and - appropriately enough - schoolteachers.
Some of the residents are Seattle natives. Others have just moved here. One even attended school at West Queen Anne and has the report card to prove it. Val Thomas, one of the architects of the project, lived in the former auditorium for almost 15 years.
For Ron and Barbara Mays, who have a 1,350-square-foot attic unit in the building, West Queen Anne School represented a "leap of faith" as they left the suburbs and a modestly priced house to relocate in the city. But, Barbara recalls, "We pulled up to the front and said, 'This is it.' We didn't even have to go inside to know it was right."
Lawrence Kreisman is author of "West Queen Anne: Renaissance of a Landmark," "Made to Last: Historic Preservation in Seattle and King County" and other regional books on design. He is program director for Historic Seattle and serves on the city of Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board.
In celebration of the theme of this year's National Historic Preservation Week (May 12-18), "Preserving the Spirit of Place," Historic Seattle and the Queen Anne Historical Society ask, "What is Queen Anne Hill?" in Queen Anne Hill: Past, Present, and Future.
Open House - West Queen Anne School
May 5 (Sunday): Kicking off the programs is an open house at West Queen Anne School in the afternoon, where at least eight condominiums carved from classrooms, lunchrooms and auditoriums can be toured.
TIME: 12 p.m.-4 p.m.
WHERE: West Queen Anne Condominiums
1401 5th Ave. W. (at West Galer Street)
Contribution: $10. Tickets available in advance and at the door. For ticket information, contact Historic Seattle at 622-6952.
Sponsors: Historic Seattle and West Queen Anne Condominium Association. Proceeds benefit ongoing preservation projects for the two organizations.
Lectures - Queen Anne Hill: Past, Present and Future
May 7 (Tuesday): Community historian Paul Dorpat introduces us to the physical character of the Hill from its first land claims in the 1850s - the building of rudimentary cabins and farmhouses - through the construction of the Counterbalance, the development of handsome residences, the expansion of its commercial district and the legacy of schools, churches, and a public library. He shows buildings long gone and their replacements, helping us to grasp some of the dramatic changes that have occurred over time.
Dr. Kay Reinartz - historian, author and editor of "Queen Anne: Community on the Hill" - provides an overview of other aspects of Queen Anne history. Queen Anne Historical Society member Del Loder reveals some of the "secrets" the society has uncovered in its research, and long-term residents talk about what makes Queen Anne special.
May 14 (Tuesday): Bill Blair will discuss the past, present and future of Queen Anne parks. Joy Golliver of the Uptown Alliance will answer the question, "Where's Uptown?" Bruce Lorig of Lorig & Associates will talk about preserving community landmarks for the future.
Queen Anne Historical Society members will talk about their activities and plans for the future. Planner Mimi Sheridan will moderate discussion.
TUESDAY LECTURE TIMES: 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
WHERE: Auditorium, Bayview Manor Retirement Residence, 11 W. Aloha St.
Contribution: $25 for both evenings. Tickets available in advance or at the door. For ticket information, contact Historic Seattle at 622-6952.
Note: Street parking is limited, so leave additional time to locate it and walk to Bayview Manor. There are also two convenient "self-pay" parking lots. The closest is located at First Avenue West and West Roy Street across from On the Boards Theater (formerly ACT), 100 W. Roy St. There is also a lot at Mercer Street and First Avenue West. Use the stairway from First Avenue West up to Olympic Place. The entrance to Bayview Manor is a block north.
Guided Walking Tour
May 11 (Saturday): The Seattle Architectural Foundation conducts guided walking tours of the Hill's south slope neighborhood centered on Highland and West Highland Drive, an area that became home to leaders of industry, politics and society. The tour explores the rich mix of single- and multifamily residential architecture, interiors and landscapes.
TIME: 9 a.m.-noon.
Contribution: $20. Preregistration required; space is limited to 100. To register, contact Historic Seattle at 622-6952.
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