At a special meeting, the Board of Education approved the Schematic Design work of architects Phillip Swagger and Associates. The design work included the addition to Wilson School and the major renovation to the 1929 portion of Washington School. Combined, the budget for both projects is expected to come in under the $13.07 million authorized by the Board.
 
 

How they started.

PSA architects/designers from Washington D.C., Dallas, Chicago, and Peoria arrived in the district in mid-January for a 3-day schematic design working session. Many of the ideas gathered from student, staff, parent, board and community were put together to form a broad conceptual scheme of how the two buildings might look and, more importantly, "work." "One might work as an artist, and another as a philosopher", said Director of Finance and Operations Guy Cahill in describing the group work as it progressed under the skylights in the old gym of Washington School. Wilson School suggests technology, while retaining many of the elements of the neighborhood. Noted Cahill, "The architect-philosopher described, for example, how the building's shape borrowed from the streamlined designs of the art-deco era." "We wanted to emphasize technology while retaining a sense of warmth and invitation", said Principal Architect Tom Wilson
 
 

A Tour Through Wilson School.

A 78,840 sq. ft. building has been laid-out for the Wilson campus. Envisioned for the west side of the existing campus with a connecting hallway, the two-story structure will eventually house 800 students divided among four clusters or villages of 200 each. Upon arrival at the site, a visitor is immediately drawn to the center and rear of the adjoining buildings and an interconnecting hallway. The front entrance is designed with a circular drive for parents. The students entering the building from the East, walk immediately into an expansive commons area with a not to distant grand stairway inviting him or her to the interior of the building. Out of the commons area and into the adjoining grand hallway emerges the gymnasium and library-media-technology center. This area will become the public side of the building for use 24-hours a day.
 
 

Making up the academic wing are four villages comprised of seven classrooms and one special room, each separated by a common space such as the music room on the first floor or the art room on the second floor. A stairway and elevator on the South end and a stairway on the North end will bring students and staff to the second floor. In the building's center will be a ‘grand’ stairway for second floor passage in an emergency and access to the art room without having to disrupt the academic areas. The academic wing can be secured during off-hours from the public wing of the building.
 
 

Staff parking and bus unloading will be in the back of the building. The current U-shaped drive extends across the back of the existing building and out along the East side of the building to Koch street.
 
 

Visiting Washington School.

Aside from maintaining the historical integrity of the building, the challenge for the architects on the Washington School site was retaining the same number of classrooms in the original building while increasing many by as much as 50%. In doing so, the architects addressed a number of other concerns, including for example the location and facility of the existing restroom area. Removing walls between three existing rooms and adjoining storage areas and ante ways, two rooms of ample size were ‘carved’ out. Re-purposing other spaces allowed for the retention of storage and office spaces. All of the student support services will remain in the old building which itself will receive a major face-lift.
 
 

Two of the more challenging areas were the incorporation of an elevator and design of the restrooms. The former remains under study. In the case of the latter, both restrooms will be physically located next to one another in the wing connected to the 1961 addition. This design necessitated borrowing space from an existing, undersized classroom and completely remodeling and incorporating the portion therein with the existing girl’s restroom.
 
 

Of greatest interest is the renovation of the Hackler Auditorium. Many of the features identified by the Auditorium Committee have found there way into the design. Complete lighting, stage-rigging, central and remote control systems have been included. Amenities for distance learning and ‘large-screen’ presentations have been incorporated. Electrical and network wiring has been built-in so as to increase the functional use of the space from performance and presentation to large-scale instruction.
 
 

Planned for construction beginning this summer, the Wilson addition is slated for completion in January 2001 and the Washington renovation over a period of three summers or August 2001.