Stadium High School
Stadium High School | |
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Address | |
111 North E Street Tacoma, Pierce, Washington 98403 United States | |
Information | |
School type | Public |
Status | open |
School district | Tacoma Public Schools |
CEEB code | 481395 |
Principal | Kevin Ikeda |
Grades | 9-12 |
Campus type | Closed |
School color(s) | Royal Blue, Gold |
Mascot | Tiger |
Nickname | Tigers |
Newspaper | Stadium World |
Yearbook | Tahoma |
Website | Website |
Stadium High School is a public high school in Tacoma, Washington, and a historic landmark. It is part of Tacoma Public Schools, or Tacoma School District No. 10 and is located in the Stadium District, near downtown Tacoma. The original building burned to a shell in 1898 while it was still a partially constructed hotel designed by Hewitt & Hewitt that was being used for storage. It was reconstructed for use as a school beginning in 1906 according to designs by Frederick Heath,[1] and a "bowl" stadium was added later in 1910.
History
The main building was constructed by architects Hewitt and Hewitt[2] for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company and the Tacoma Land Company at what was then known as Blackwell Point. Construction began in 1891 with the intention of building a luxury hotel resembling a French château. The Panic of 1893, however, brought construction to an abrupt halt when the Northern Pacific was faced with financial disaster. The unfinished building became a storage facility, with much of the building materials still inside. On October 11, 1898, the building was gutted by a massive fire. The walls remained standing, and the Northern Pacific began to dismantle the structure, removing some 40,000 bricks that would be used to construct still-existing train stations in Missoula, Montana, and Wallace, Idaho.
The Tacoma School District purchased the gutted building on February 19, 1904, with the intent of turning it into a high school. The redesign and later renovations were planned by the school's architect, Frederick Heath.[3] It was repaired and renovated into a school.[4] Despite its extraordinary locale and design, on the inside it looks, feels, and operates like a typical American high school.[5]
The reconstructed building opened on September 10, 1906, as Tacoma High School. Seven years later, the name was changed to reference the adjacent Stadium Bowl. Later additions included a circular lunchroom, an underground swimming pool, a science and industrial arts complex,[4] a gymnasium, and a multi-story parking lot structure with tennis courts on the roof.
The stadium, also designed by Frederick Heath, dates from 1910 and is in a location once known as Old Woman's Gulch. It was originally much grander than it is today, with a seating capacity of 32,000. Among those who spoke there were Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, William Jennings Bryan, and Billy Sunday.[6]
The stadium was originally built in 1909–1910 using steam shovels and sluicing to move more than 180,000 cubic yards (140,000 m3) down the edges of the gulch to create a flat playing field of 2.5 acres (10,000 m2). Wooden molds were built to cast concrete for 31 rows of stadium seating surrounding the playfield.[6]
The original structure exceeded what the soil could support. A restoration project in the 1970s had to sacrifice roughly half of the seating capacity because of instability. In 1981 a burst storm drain washed away the scoreboard and the bayward end zone of the football field. This was followed by a further restoration allowing the stadium to reopen in 1985.[6]
The school was the filming location for many of the scenes of the 1999 movie 10 Things I Hate About You.
In 2005-2006 the school underwent a major renovation, seismic upgrade, historical restoration, and expansion. Bassetti Architects were the design architects, and Merrit Pardini Architects (later Krei Architecture) were the architects of record for this work.[7] During the renovation, students were temporarily relocated to the old site of Mount Tahoma High School in the south end, just over 7 miles (11 km) away.
The centennial celebration of Stadium High School was held on September 16, 2006. The celebration was attended by 3299 alumni, setting a Guinness World Record for the largest recorded school reunion.[8]
Notable alumni
- Bill Baarsma, '60, Tacoma mayor[9]
- Sam Baker, former NFL Pro Bowl player; transferred after his junior year[10]
- Bruce Bennett (b. Herman Brix) '24, Olympic shot-put medalist and Hollywood actor[9]
- Rosemarie Bowe, '50, actress, wife of Robert Stack[11]
- Cathryn Damon, '47, stage, TV and film actress[9]
- R. N. DeArmond, author, historian
- Jeff Durgan, professional soccer player (retired)
- Evan Hunziker, man who spent three months in North Korean custody for illegally entering the country[12]
- Josh Keyes, artist
- Edward LaChapelle, avalanche researcher
- Al Libke, former MLB player (Cincinnati Reds)
- Michael Manuel,actor
- Vicci Martinez, acoustic-rock singer/songwriter
- Marjie Millar (b. Marjie Miller), '49, TV and movie actress[9]
- Gordon Naccarato, '72, restaurateur
- Eric T. Olson, '69, admiral and commander of U.S. Special Operations Command [9]
- Janis Paige (b. Donna Mae Jaden), '40, film and theater actress[9]
- Dixy Lee Ray, '33, chair of federal Atomic Energy Commission, Governor of Washington[9]
- Debbie Regala, '63, State Senator, District 27 - D[9]
- Irv Robbins, '35?, co-founder of Baskin-Robbins[13]
- Albert Rosellini, '27, attorney, civic leader, governor of Washington[9]
- James Sargent Russell, '18, admiral, commander of NATO forces in Europe[9]
- Sugar Ray Seales, '71, boxer, 1972 Olympic gold medalist and professional prizefighter[9]
- Doug Sisk, former MLB player (New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves)
- Jeff Stock, professional soccer player
- Jack Tuell, '40, author and bishop in the United Methodist Church
References
- ↑ News Tribune
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-01-02. Retrieved 2005-09-16.
- ↑ "Metro Parks Tacoma". metroparkstacoma.org. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- 1 2 Plaque outside the school, May 22, 1992. Consulted 16 August 2008.
- ↑ "Stadium High School". Tacoma Schools. Archived from the original on 2014-01-05. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- 1 2 3 Plaque outside the stadium, May 28, 1993. Consulted 16 August 2008.
- ↑ Bassetti Architects Archived December 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Guinness World Records Archived November 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Some famous and notable graduates". The News Tribune (Tacoma, WA). September 9, 2006.
- ↑ "The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search". google.com. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ↑ "Approve Starlet's Pact". The Kansas City Times. Missouri, Kansas City. Associated Press. June 18, 1952. p. 28. Retrieved January 18, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Eng, Lily (1996-12-19). "Former Captive's Life Troubled". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ↑ Roberts, C.R. (2008-05-07). "Ice cream pioneer Irvine Robbins got start in Tacoma". The News Tribune. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
External links
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Coordinates: 47°15′58″N 122°26′53″W / 47.26623°N 122.44816°W