Dallas ISD completes $16 million modernization of 89-year-old elementary school

The renovation of H.I. Holland Elementary School at Lisbon replaces portable classrooms with permanent learning space, adds a storm shelter and secure entrance, and updates roofing, drainage, accessibility, and other building systems.
Sept. 29, 2026
3 min read
Add Us On Google

Key Highlights

  • The project replaced portable classrooms with permanent spaces, including a new western addition that also functions as a storm shelter and connects the gym to the main building.
  • Improvements included a complete roof replacement, upgraded drainage, renovated classrooms, new security features, and expanded food service facilities.
  • Design efforts balanced contemporary additions with the school's historic character by incorporating architectural cues and transparent connectors, ensuring a seamless aesthetic integration.
  • The project exemplifies a comprehensive approach to modernization, addressing multiple deferred maintenance and operational needs within a single capital investment.
Courtesy of Tanner Garza Photography
Parent and child walk under covered entrance to newly remodeled elementary school.

Students at H.I. Holland Elementary School at Lisbon returned this fall to a significantly modernized campus following $16 million in improvements to the historic Dallas school.

Designed by KAI for Dallas Independent School District (#17 on The AS&U 100 2026), the project combines approximately 55,000 square feet of renovations with a 19,200-square-foot classroom addition and storm shelter. The work addresses facility deficiencies identified as part of Dallas ISD’s 2020 bond program while preserving the character of a school that dates to 1937.

Courtesy of Tanner Garza Photography
Student stands at reception desk in main office talking to receptionist.

Catherine Dalton, AIA, RID, LEED BD+C, principal and K-12 market leader at KAI, said in a statement:

“H.I. Holland Elementary has served generations of Dallas families, so it was important that these improvements honor the school’s history while giving today’s students and educators the safe, modern and inspiring learning environment they deserve. By replacing temporary classrooms with permanent learning spaces, improving accessibility and circulation, strengthening campus security and creating new opportunities for collaboration, we are helping ensure this historic neighborhood school can continue serving its community for generations to come.”

KAI provided architecture, interior design, programming and planning, BIM, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineering, as well as construction administration for the three-year project. Phillips/May + Picasso served as general contractor, and Dikita/Vanir, a joint venture, was program manager.

Dallas ISD’s bond website lists the project’s overall budget at $21 million, while KAI describes the completed improvements as a $16 million transformation. The district identifies KAI as architect, PhillipsMay and Picasso Contractors as contractor, and Dikita/Vanir JV as program manager.

Portable classrooms replaced with permanent space

Courtesy of Tanner Garza Photography
Child sits alone in daylit classroom with tables, chairs, and whiteboard with TV on the side.

One of the project’s primary goals was to replace portable buildings that had been used for Functional Life Skills special education programs and pre-K3 and pre-K4 classrooms. The new western addition provides permanent classrooms while also connecting the school’s previously detached gymnasium to the main building so that students and staff can now move between the two facilities without going outside. The addition also functions as a storm shelter and improves vertical circulation throughout the campus.

Two smaller additions address other operational needs, including a north-side addition that contains administrative offices and a new secure entrance vestibule, and a south addition which includes a kitchen designed to meet current Dallas ISD standards and support food-service operations.

Courtesy of Tanner Garza Photography
Bright, modern cafeteria space in elementary school with colorful accents and circular acoustic ceiling baffles.

Why it matters

H.I. Holland Elementary is an example of the increasingly common renovate-versus-replace decision facing districts with aging buildings. Rather than abandon the nearly nine-decade-old school, Dallas ISD invested in permanent classroom capacity, building-envelope repairs, security, accessibility, food service, circulation, and severe-weather protection while retaining the existing campus.

The project also illustrates how a modernization can address several deferred needs at the same time. Portable classrooms, a detached gym, an aging roof, drainage problems, an outdated entrance, and other deficiencies were folded into one larger capital program rather than addressed as isolated repairs.

For districts managing older school inventories, that type of comprehensive modernization can extend the useful life of an existing asset while bringing its safety and operational systems closer to current expectations.

KAI used a transparent glass connector between the new western addition and the original school to distinguish the new construction from the historic building while maintaining a physical connection between them.

Renovation addresses roofs, drainage, security, and accessibility

The project’s scope encompasses improvements to the existing school including a complete roof replacement, below-grade drainage and waterproofing work, renovated classrooms and corridors, improvements to stairs and elevators, and updated entrances. It also adds a new learning commons, expands the kitchen and loading dock, creates a secure public main entrance, and adds another elevator.

KAI said the design team worked to make the additions contemporary without overwhelming the original structure built in 1937. Colors and architectural cues from the original building were incorporated into the new construction, while the additions were positioned around the existing campus according to their functions and site constraints.

This piece was created with the help of generative AI tools and edited by our content team for clarity and accuracy.
Sign up for our eNewsletters
Get the latest news and updates

Related