Schoolhouse blues

| Development | Fauntleroy | West Seattle history | WS culture/arts

On this busy spring Sunday, perhaps between your Farmers’ Market stop and your Water Taxi trip, take a little time to help ponder the future of the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. A community open house is happening there 11 am-2 pm to facilitate and inspire that pondering. And there’s urgency — the school district still owns this 90-year-old treasure (the child-care center, events hall, and others based there are tenants) but is indicating it’s time to sell off this and other “surplus property.” If you have only driven by, perhaps heading to or from the nearby ferry dock, you may not realize how large the schoolhouse property is; as a result, as one reader wrote to us, “there are developers who are hovering over the property.” Will it be the next townhouse cluster — or will the community rally to preserve it? Drop by today to offer ideas … or absorb them … a rare chance to do something before it’s too late.

Jan April 29, 2007 (2:21 am)

it would be a shame to lose this wonderful building to developers. It houses tenants that give back to the community, and I think that should count for something. Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes catering has their operation there, and an events hall. They have a free meal for the community every Thanksgiving..it’s lovely…and many brides will remember their weddings there. Maybe, just maybe, this once, sanity and common sense will prevail.

Eric B April 29, 2007 (8:40 am)

While I would love to see this landmark preserved, I don’t think it is the job of a struggling School District to preserve buildings. I find it difficult to understand why the district should be hurting our children’s education in order to preserve a building.

Jan April 29, 2007 (5:21 pm)

I’m not saying that the School District should keep it just because. I’m just hoping that whoever buys it doesn’t just tear it down and put up yet more condos. It would be nice if someone would purchase it to keep it as is, or have foresight to refurbish it and leave the building intact…

Chet April 30, 2007 (9:17 am)

Agreed Jan. I feel like someone has my name and is going after every building in W Seattle that has special meaning to me. This has got to be stopped and not by people who insert themselves who are actually pro development or are associated with architects/developers.

JE April 30, 2007 (12:29 pm)

We need a foundation to buy it, rent to the current daycare, an after-school arts program (West Seattle Symphonette, for example), and an elementary school. Make it available to the community for off-hours events and meetings (maybe managed by Tuxedo & Tennis Shoes, an excellent organization). The public schools don’t want schools that small, but some of the local private schools would fit nicely. Put in a small public park on the playfield, too.

Sorry, comment time is over.