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 labor and materials be sourced locally.
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.
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Renovated or added to at least three times since 1932, the school's major renovation and addition was completed in 2009 and included the addition of this big clock tower. Likely costing as much as many small schools, it is about 50 to 60 feet in height, built primarily of brick which matches the addition to its west. At the bottom, the tower stands on four brick columns which join into a single column which forms the tower. The clock itself is about two thirds of the way up the tower, with what appears to be a glassed in observation room above it. However, there is no access to the observation room from below. Each of the four faces of the tower houses a clock face, each one square, with extremely simple number indicators.
John R. Rogers High School
John R. Rogers High School is an outstanding example of the Art Deco style as applied to public structures. Although the interior has been significantly renovated, the exterior of the original building retains largely the same appearance as when it was first constructed in 1932. All the projecting distractions of previous years have been removed, leaving behind the impressive edifice of the main building as it was originally designed.
From Historic Spokane