# Stadium High School reopens



## kub86 (Aug 13, 2004)

Stadium High in Tacoma, a suburb of Seattle, reopened last Fall after a 2-year $100 million makeover. Just in time for its 100th birthday!

So here's a few pics of one of America's most amazing schools (architecturally at least). I think the architects did a fantastic job with the renovation. So dreamy.










Peeling paint, leaky roofs, cracked floors, and broken lockers all replaced:









A brand new two-level Cafeteria (although I thought the old one was nice).









They built a new performing arts center & gym across the street.









Courtyard during the centennial celebration









The famed Stadium Bowl.









The new cafeteria is built where the former gym was (under the courtyard) in the basement levels. The former cafeteria was actually (imo) a nice daylight basement that overlooked the bay.









A refreshed classic roof.









The former auditorium actually severed the school in half (since it was designed as a hotel, not a school). So you can see they connected the balcony to both wings for flow. I love the ceiling and checkered floors.









The Castle on the bluff.









I can't believe such a pretty school like this exists.

pics by electric man and alisonr78 and TNT


----------



## Calvin W (Nov 5, 2005)

Beautiful! I wish my high school had looked even 1/10th as good. Good to see it was renovated and not demolished.


----------



## FastFerrari (Feb 7, 2007)

*Movie*

Hey that bowl stadium look right out of the movie...10 things i hate about you...or something.....well has it at least been in a movie?


----------



## mhays (Sep 12, 2002)

Yes, you got it right. 

Tacoma is actually a separate, real city. Once it was basically Seattle's equal. That was roughly when the hotel (school) was built. It was built as the grand hotel at the end of a new transcontinental railroad, but it burned before it opened. Conversion to school use came soon after. 

Downtown Tacoma, just south of the school, was one of the deadest around until about 10 years ago. There's still a long way to go, but it's undergone a stunning rebirth including a free light rail line, a new branch campus of the UW, a new waterfront promenade, many residential projects, a few hotels, a convention center, and three new museums. Tacoma is suddenly a viable place for a city person to live, and condos are 2/3 the Seattle price. Even I'm tempted. There's an express bus to Seattle every four minutes at rush hour from the Tacoma Dome transit station, which also has a fledgeling commuter rail line to Seattle. 

It's remarkable what both Seattle and Tacoma are doing with school renovations. Each has passed multiple bond issues and are aggressively renewing historic schools almost across the board. Typically the projects demolish and replace whatever was built in the 50s-70s, while lovingly restoring and improving the older parts. Seattle voters just passed yet another massive levy, which will continue the program that has already paid for numerous projects -- such as Ballard, Roosevelt, Cleveland, Franklin, and Garfield High Schools.


----------



## spyguy (Apr 16, 2005)

Stadium is definitely one of the best, if not these best, in the US. The location and buildings and facilities are awesome. How exactly did they manage to afford a $100 million renovation? That's enough to build a brand new state of the art school.

The school I attended should be getting close to 100 years very soon. Unfortunately (from what I've seen), they haven't had so much luck in renovations; false ceilings, replacing wood floors, wood moulding, and cabinetry.


----------



## mhays (Sep 12, 2002)

The voters passed a bond issue. This also covers various other projects such as a similar rehab of Lincoln High School. 

They recently passed another bond issue which will cover more projects. 

As did Seattle. I think it's Seattle's third consecutive massive school construction bond issue. Probably over a billion by now.


----------



## DarkLite (Dec 31, 2004)

*wow...any student would be privilaged to study in such a new and exciting environment!*


----------



## JiminyCricket (Sep 12, 2002)

gawd that school is unreal.


----------

