Author: Scott Marsh

A new building is coming for Edison Elementary School, thanks to voters’ approval of the 4J school bond measure. What’s the latest?

Design Details: Edison Entry Shaping Up

Arch angle adjusted in response to community feedback 

The vision of the new Edison Elementary School is coming into focus. Responsive to community input, the architects have drafted a school design to prioritize green space, fit the neighborhood in scale, and reflect traditional and northwestern styles.

Mahlum Architects and Robertson Sherwood Architects completed initial design development for the new building this spring, and community members were invited to provide feedback. The final school design will be presented this fall.

One notable change from the previous design draft will be the entryway. Reflecting a common theme heard in community input, the design will be revised from the slightly splayed arch that was presented, to a more classic, vertical arch shape.

Virtual View: Soar Through School Design

The new Edison building will begin construction in early 2021 and will open in fall 2022. In the meantime, check out this virtual tour through the building design, provided by Mahlum Architects.

The building depicted in this video is an architectural rendering of design development concepts. The final building design may vary from what is shown here, such as the change in the arched entryway.

Preliminary Work to Begin at Edison Site

Activity to prepare for construction of the new school starts in July 

Preparation for construction of the new Edison is underway. Some pre-construction work will begin this week and will cause some minor traffic interruptions in July.

The first pre-construction projects are rerouting the sewer line that runs under Edison and connecting it to one in Onyx Street, and placing a gravel pad at the school site.

In early July, contractors will make small exploratory holes on 22nd Ave. and Onyx St. to ensure no existing subsurface construction conflicts with the proposed path of the sewer line. Starting around July 21, the sewer line rerouting work will require excavation of 22nd Ave. from Onyx St. to the alley between Onyx and Emerald.

Also in mid-July, gravel will be delivered to the school site and laid in the grassy field area. The addition of this gravel pad for equipment will reduce mud and mess at the school site and in the neighborhood during construction. The gravel is being delivered now, in advance of construction, to save costs by relocating excess gravel from the Willard project site without multiple haulings and storage fees.

Next Steps Toward the New Edison

The original Edison building will be demolished later this year, after classrooms move to the Willard school site and other items are removed for reuse and recycling.

After completion of the detailed design, construction documents and permitting, construction will begin in early 2021 to be completed by summer 2022.

The new school building will be a sustainable and efficient, high-quality learning environment and community asset now and for generations to come.