SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Demolition underway in North Seattle to make way for new elementary, middle school
Jun 16, 2015, 11:24 AM | Updated: May 5, 2016, 10:59 pm
Wilson-Pacific elementary and middle schools, near Greenwood, are being replaced.
Wilson-Pacific elementary and middle schools will soon be turned into piles of broken boards and twisted metal.
The site at 1330 North 90th St. in the Licton-Springs neighborhood, between Aurora Avenue and Interstate 5, is being transformed into a new campus that will meet the growing needs of North Seattle.
The new elementary and middle schools are being built to meet the current and projected student growth in the area, according to information from Seattle Public Schools. The elementary school will accommodate up to 660 students for Seattle Public School’s Highly Capable Cohort — an advanced learning program. The program is currently located at the former Lincoln High School.
Abatement began recently and the construction team is preparing for site grading and removing outdoor equipment, according to the district.
A new middle school will address projected growth while helping alleviate overcrowding at Whitman, Hamilton and Eckstein middle schools. It will have space for about 1,000 students, which will include space for 150 students for the Licton Springs/Native American K-8.
The elementary school will be about 91,000 square feet. The combined total building area for both middle school programs will be about 140,000 square feet.
The new buildings replace the existing 110,000-square-foot, 1950s school. Wilson-Pacific housed a junior high, middle school, special-needs school, alternative schools and administrative “functions.” The majority of the buildings were closed in 2000 and the seven existing buildings will be demolished.
Of the site’s 16.8 acres, about 5.8 will be occupied by buildings. The other 11 acres will be open space.
The site plan calls for a multipurpose sports field to be shared by the two schools. The plan calls for the field to be in the center of the property, separating the two buildings. A childcare center will share the elementary schools’ side of the property.
The elementary building will cost an estimated $44.7 million. The middle school/K-8 building will cost an estimated $71.6 million.
Design work for the site began in 2012. The project is expected to be finished in September 2017.
