Priest River High School - Priest River, Idaho - Photos Then and Now on Waymarking.com

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Priest River High School - Priest River, Idaho

in Photos Then and Now

Posted by:  T0SHEA

11U E 506149 N 5336387

Another much needed WPA project, this High School (now Junior High) was begun in 1940. The Art Moderne design was the brainchild of well known architect G. A. Pehrson, of Spokane, WA and continues in use to this day.

The Then photo is 1940 in celebration of the opening of the new high school. Note the WPA sign prominently displayed.

The proud men who built the high school are shown standing in front of the school's entrance. There is a sign next to the WPA sign that states:
... AND NOW ...
THE BOYS
WHO BUILD
THE SCHOOL

Priest River High School

The Priest River High School is an excellent example of the simple Art Moderne style of architecture that characterized many of the buildings designed and built by the Work Projects Administration during the 1930s and early 1940s. Although most of the window openings in the side and rear walls have been filled in recent years, the school remains remarkably unchanged since its construction in 1940-1941, and the completion of the auditorium in 1952... The building retains its original massing and façade as well as the central hall plan of the interior. More than fifty years after its construction, it still serves the people of Priest River as a school building as well as a lasting legacy of the WPA.

Architect G. A. Pehrson worked primarily in Spokane, Washington, where he designed some of the city's landmark buildings. Known for a wide range of styles, Pehrson's credits include the 1924 Italian Renaissance Revival Chancery Building, the 1929 Spanish and Moorish Paulsen Center, the 1930 Art Deco Rookery Building, and the 1939 Art Moderne Victor Dessert home. 5 He continued in this last style with his design for the Priest River High School.

Despite approval of federal funds and the school bond, work progressed slowly on the new school. The school board did not select a site until late October when they agreed to buy a ten-acre tract near the western edge of town. A month later, a crew of twenty-five men began work clearing stumps and excavating the basement. Although most of the footings were poured in January 1940, a shortage of carpenters hampered the project, and construction of forms took longer than expected. Crews poured the basement walls in April and had completed the upper-story walls by mid-July. Work picked up and the school was completed in time for the grand opening on September 30, 1940, when students marched in a parade from the old school to the new building.

As workmen were finishing up details on the classroom section, other crews began work on the gymnasium, which had been approved for federal funding in August 1940. Timbers for the roof were salvaged from a storage shed at the defunct Humbird lumber mill in Sandpoint. Work progressed steadily through the following spring and summer on the floors, roof, fire walls, and interior finish work. Local residents celebrated the completion of the new gym with a dedication dance on November 1, 1941.

Before the gym was completed, the school board decided to continue with the third phase of the project, constructing the auditorium. WPA officials informed the local school board in September 1941 that $1100 remained in project funds for materials, along with enough man-hours to finish the auditorium. Construction was underway that month, with footings poured by mid-October. Work evidently halted within a short while, however, possibly because of the United States' entry into World War II. Building resumed more than ten years later following the original plans, and the auditorium was completed in December 1952.
From the Idaho Historical Society