Seattle is a city with a distinguished architectural history, and the city’s public schools are no exception. Since 1946, Seattle School District has compiled a publication dealing with the origins of each school along with the distinctive attributes of its neighborhood. More than 160 years of school histories, which are integral to the growth of the city itself, appear in “Building for Learning.”
In 2022, I was asked to join a team of four other writers to update and document the history of Seattle schools. With roughly 115 schools in the system, my assignment is comprised of 37 elementary, middle and high schools, primarily Queen Anne, West Seattle and South Seattle neighborhoods. I’ve also been asked to update the 2022 edition with a new introduction that weaves together about a dozen major themes of the early 21st century — from school safety to environmental stewardship to Covid-19 response.
This project is in conjunction with HistoryLink.com and Seattle Public Schools; the new book will be available in 2023.