Renovations to Seattle's historic Garfield High School focused mainly on restoring the 85-year-old building's faded beauty and creating a more usable and modern interior.
The 243,000-sf school (whose alumni include the impresario Quincy Jones) was so functionally inadequate that officials briefly considered razing it. But concerned stakeholders—including administrators, teachers, students, and community members—instead pushed for a massive renovation and wound up serving on the School Design Team. BD+C Renovation Awards judges were particularly impressed with the community's involvement in the $87 million overhaul.
For BLRB Architects of Tacoma, Wash., the Seattle office of Heery International (GC and CM), and the School Design Team, the project's biggest achievements include:
-
Converting the former auditorium into a social commons by demolishing an interstitial floor built in the '60s to house the library and reclaiming its three-story volume.
-
Rebuilding the ornate proscenium that was removed from around the stage when the '60s library cut the space in half.
-
Constructing a new 84,000-sf gymnasium and performing arts center.