Now repurposed as the Cutter Theatre, in honor of its designer, Kirtland Cutter, the school became the Selkirk School District office in 1972, then fell into disuse for over 10 years. Rescued from a state of severe decline in 1990, it was restored and reopened as the Cutter Theatre in 1991 by a large group of dedicated volunteers, who continue to operate the performing arts theatre to this day.
The Metaline Falls School is a well-preserved brick schoolhouse designed by the Spokane architectural firm of Cutter and Malmgren and constructed in 1912. Located on a two acre site at the edge of the city's residential district, on a bluff 150 feet above the Pend Oreille River, the school is a two-floor, 10-classroom structure distinguished by a Neoclassical façade. The school, together with the adjacent playfield and gymnasium, is the most substantial public facility in the community and stands in marked contrast to both the surrounding natural beauty of the nearby mountains and the small scale structures of the adjacent neighborhood.
The Metaline Falls School is built on a modified T-plan, with a central gabled pavilion projecting from a perpendicular, hipped roof classroom wing. The classroom wing measures approximately 125 feet wide by 57 feet deep, while the pavilion projects 21 feet from the face of the classroom wing and measures 46 feet wide. The entire structure rests on a concrete foundation and raised basement, with upper walls constructed of low-fired local red brick laid in a Flemish bond. The school is sheltered by a hipped and gabled roof sheathed in original double course wood shingles, exposed seven inches to weather. The eaves of the roof overhang the wall by three feet, exposing rafter tails. One of the original two brick chimneys remains.
The central pavilion serves as the visual focal point and the main entrance to the school. The pavilion is dominated by a central entry set within a round-arched opening. Access is gained through double doors (non-historic) beneath a transom light. The doors are reached by a flight of eight concrete steps, leading to a concrete platform (added about 1940). The entryway is framed by cast stone pilasters with Corinthian capitals, crowned by a full entablature with architrave, frieze (inscribed with the name of the school), and dentillated cornice. Above the cornice is a fanlight with radiating muntins, set within a cast stone arch. The surrounding archivolt is ornamented with an egg and dart molding.
Distinguished by an imposing Neoclassical façade and sturdy brick construction, the Metaline Falls School is closely associated with the development of education and community life in the small Pend Oreille County town. The structure was the first and, until 1956, only public school in Metaline Falls, served both primary and high school students, and was the site of numerous town meetings and community events. Designed by the Spokane architectural firm of Cutter and Malmgren, and constructed in 1912, the building is the finest example of civic architecture in town.
From the NRHP