The Tacoma (Washington) district has reopened a 113-year-old high school campus after a two-year renovation.
The Tacoma News Tribune reports that the former Oakland High School -- now known as Oakland Secondary School -- welcomed students back to the campus this week.
The school opened in 1912 as an elementary school and eventually transitioned to a high school. But the district determined that the aging building needed extensive repairs as high school students struggled to use a facility initially designed for much younger students.
Funding for the renovation came from a $535 million bond that proposal that voters approved in 2020.
After breaking ground on the project in 2023 and relocating classes for two years to an elementary school in Tacoma’s McKinley neighborhood, hundreds of students have returned to the school’s original location.
The renovation preserves the building’s marble exterior, massive windows, columns and red brick. The inside has shiny new classrooms outfitted with new technology, plus a new science lab, gym and cafeteria.
