Sandpoint was in dire need for a new high school in 1920. The school board wanted a building that would serve the school needs and that the community could be proud of. The creative design of Whitehouse & Price provided all the necessary items. The gymnasium featured an upper level running track which provided a larger spectator area. The 525-seat auditorium provided the assembly area for commencement proceedings as well as community events. The building was supplied with all new equipment and furnishings.
The double entry doorway is covered with an arched transom. The entrance is arched and surrounded by curved terra cotta tiles. There are two horizontal terra cotta lines underneath the elaborate concrete cast floral shield. The curved shield with the words Sandpoint High School is surrounded by educational appointments and bordered by a four-corner leaf design. Two floral patterned columns flank this bordered shield. The eastern side is divided into four horizontal sections by cream-colored terra cotta bands.
Whitehouse and Price evidenced a strong preference for highly contrasting masonry and terra cotta in their exterior decorative schemes. With Sandpoint High School, this effect is achieved by contrasting red brick laid up in common bond with white terra cotta detail. This effect is quite pleasing and is reminiscent of the best Neo-Classical and Neo-Colonial design work being done in the 1920s.
The interior of the first floor contains a full size basketball court. A second floor running track surrounds the basketball court. The classrooms and offices are arranged around the outer segments of the building. The third floor contains the 525-seat auditorium with operable skylights for ventilation. The auditorium provides a sloping floor with a 32-foot stage. Beautiful plaster scrollwork highlights the arched auditorium ceiling.
In September, 1919 the Sandpoint School Board had a special meeting to discuss the overcrowded conditions at the Sandpoint school building. Classes had been crowded into the basement, high school classes had overflowed into the gym, and the principle's office had been turned into a classroom. Following this meeting the school board decided that a new High School was needed. In January, 1920 they direct the architectural firm of Whitehouse and Price to start the planning of a new high school building.
The School Board voted for a bond election on June 16, 1920. That bond election failed by one vote. The second bond election was held August 7, 1920 and was passed by a four to one margin. The advertising for the sale of the bonds was unsuccessful due to the disorganized bond market and absence of bond purchasers. The new school had to be put on hold and the school district continued to struggle with overcrowded conditions. In 1921, $140,000 worth of school bonds were sold to Bonner County National Bank and the Spokane Eastern Trust Co. and the project was restarted. The challenge of financing continued when the legality of the bond issuance was questioned because of a new law addressing the "total indebtedness" ratio of local school districts. A School Board member resigned due to a question of bond money being used for site purchase. The School Board held many meetings trying to resolve the location of the new building. The determined School Board persevered and purchased the site February 21, 1922.
In May, 1922 the architects' plans were accepted and bids were solicited for construction. On June 27, 1922, the Spokane construction firm of Jasper & McLellan was awarded the building contract. Trainloads of materials started to arrive in Sandpoint in August, 1922. A thousand people turned out for the dedication of the cornerstone and the placement of the "time capsule." The building and all of its equipment was described to be "first class" and something that all of Sandpoint could be proud of. Harold Whitehouse stated "never before had he dealt with a board that devoted the time and used the excellent judgment needed to finish a project of such magnitude". The contracts were settled in Juneo 1923 under the direction of Mr. Whitehouse. Whitehouse was highly commendatory of the construction firm of Jasper & McLellan for their conscientious and painstaking work, noting "the construction was of such character as to permit the architect, as well as the contractor a justifiable pride in the finished product. The school building is a testament to how quality construction and design can withstand the test of time."
It is an outstanding example of a building designed by the master architectural firm of Whitehouse and Price. Active from 1914 until 1965, Whitehouse and Price dominated architectural practice in Spokane and the Inland Empire for most of the early 20th century. Their work covered a huge range—everything from the enormous Gothic style Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Spokane (1923-1954) to the modest Minimal-Traditional home built by Russell and Pearl Soderling (1938) in Bonner's Ferry, Idaho for a grand total of $2500. In every commission they undertook evidences a care in design and craftsmanship which clearly indicate they were masters of their trade.
From the Idaho Historical Society