When the building was entered in the National Register of Historic Places it was cause for both celebration and the obligatory news story. The Spokane Spokesman-Review did the honors for the latter, letting the school board handle the former. The story can be read further below.
John R. Rogers High School was built in the early 1930s, at a time when money was scarce and the PWA/WPA was not yet in high gear, meaning that the city, desperately in need of a new high school at the time, had to somehow conjure the required $500,000. This it did by issuing a bond, a somewhat risky venture at the time. The contract for the planning and design of the new school was issued to local architects John K. Dow and William A. Wells, their only collaborative effort, on April 10, 1930, the building being constructed by J. J. Lohrenz. Designed to initially house 800 students, expansion possibilities would enable it to accommodate 1,000. Given the unemployment situation at the time, it was stipulated in the contract that all labour and materials be sourced locally.
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A mere nine months after the start of construction the school was complete, with dedication taking place on March 1, 1932. Named after
John Rankin Rogers, the third governor of the State of Washington, the school is a bit of a screen star as it has been the site of the shooting of two movies,
Vision Quest in 1984, and
Hangman's Curse in 2002.
Given the striking visual appeal of such a large Art Deco building, among other things, the building was entered in the National Register of Historic Places on January 7, 2011. One of those "other things" was the fact that the school had undergone a two year restoration and addition which was completed in 2009. During the restoration non sympathetic additions to the building were removed, returning it to essentially its original appearance. appearance.
Rogers High School makes National Register of Historic Places
THURSDAY, JAN. 27, 2011
By Mike Prager
John R. Rogers High School has won a place on the National Register of Historic Places.
The 1932 art deco building achieved national register status recently after the Spokane City-County Landmarks Commission approved a nomination last September.
Rogers is one of a handful of high schools in the nation built in the art deco architectural style, officials said.
The original high school building was restored in a voter-approved project that was completed in 2009. The restoration was accompanied by an expanded facility in an addition that is distinct from the original three-story structure.
Spokane Public Schools is going to provide Rogers with a plaque designating the listing. A presentation ceremony is planned for March, but the exact date had not been confirmed.
Rogers’ listing follows Lewis and Clark High School, which won a spot on the national register in 2001 following renovation of that facility.
Stephen Emerson, a historic consultant who wrote the Rogers nomination, said that the architecture at Rogers is consistent with art deco style in boasting “zigzags, chevrons, circles, parallel and stepped-back lines and stylized vegetation” on the exterior.
The high school was named after Washington’s populist Democratic governor, John R. Rogers, who was first elected in 1896 as a champion of the downtrodden and an advocate for reform, Emerson said.
The building was designed in a one-time collaboration by well-established and respected architects John K. Dow and William A. Wells, officials said.<
Wells was known for school projects while Dow had done work on a number of large new buildings following Spokane’s 1889 fire, Emerson said.
The recommendation for listing also went to the the Governor’s Advisory Council before being forwarded to the National Park Service for the national listing.
From the Spokane Spokesman-Review