See expanded Fairmount Park Elementary, getting ready to (re)open

(WSB photo, taken this morning)
Even if you haven’t turned off Fauntleroy Way to see the newly expanded Fairmount Park Elementary School on Findlay, new flashing beacons on Fauntleroy like the one in our top photo are a reminder that the area is about to have a school again. Fairmount Park will officially open two weeks from tomorrow, seven years after its closure. For a sneak peek at the expanded and remodeled school, Joe Wolf shares this Flickr album, including the main entrance along SW Findlay:

The central courtyard:

The auditorium entrance:

A classroom in the new addition:

Also in the addition, a second-floor corridor:

Again, you can see many more photos in Joe’s full album, here. According to the back-to-school letter from principal Julie Breidenbach, the school is starting with at least 340 students.

In addition to the addition of classrooms to bring Fairmount Park Elementary’s capacity up to 500, there also is a new pathway from the school’s north side, along the south side of Fairmount Playfield, to reach the sidewalks on Fauntleroy Way, where there will be a school-bus-loading zone – part of the reason the trees west of the playfield were removed in the past few weeks (as reported here August 1st).

F16CrewChief August 19, 2014 (5:31 pm)

Nice! Any tour times for alumni? I

trickycoolj August 19, 2014 (7:07 pm)

I love old school buildings (or re-newed!) and imagining all the different lives who passed through the halls. Glad this one is getting a new life while also preserving some of the charm of it’s old life!

shaz August 19, 2014 (10:52 pm)

I second the comment by F16CrewChief asking about tours for the public. I went to Fairmount Park Elementary in the 1970s and would like to walk through it again.

Rosa2u August 19, 2014 (11:39 pm)

Beautiful! Though I’ve often wondered why schools (especially elementary) don’t offer more covered areas for students since they’re attending during our rainy seasons.

Mr.B August 20, 2014 (7:18 am)

I wonder how long until there is a photo ticket speed camera on that section of Fauntleroy?

miws August 20, 2014 (7:58 am)

I wonder how long until there is a photo ticket speed camera on that section of Fauntleroy?

Mr.B,

It doesn’t look like Fairmount Park is on the agenda for getting a speed cam in 2014:

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/saferoutes_Enforcement.htm

You might want to send a note to SDOT requesting FP be added.

Mike

WSB August 20, 2014 (8:09 am)

I couldn’t quickly find the story where we mentioned it, but SDOT officials have noted that the department has been evaluating dozens more possible camera locations around the city and in West Seattle, 35th near OLG (which is often visited by the “speed van”) is a candidate. I don’t believe they would even consider Fauntleroy until the school zone has been back in place for a while and speeds can be studied – as shown in our report yesterday about Fairmount Park, the beacons are just now being installed on Fauntleroy near Findlay (we’ve seen one in each direction so far) – TR

Momma to Shiniqwa August 20, 2014 (9:00 am)

So great to see the our kids getting some priority thought when it comes to schools for a change.

OP August 20, 2014 (9:55 am)

Looks fantastic! Great to see the old, rundown building refurbished and ready to roll.

Hillary August 22, 2014 (8:42 am)

F16CrewChief and Shaz,

The Fairmount Park Elementary PTA School Spirit Committee has been thinking of you, your classmates, and the school’s neighbors for a few months now — scheduling an Open House for alums and neighbors has been at the top of their priority list.

Under Principal Breidenbach’s exceptional leadership, the school — which was still under construction until Monday, August 11 — is up and running for Kindergarten Jumpstart this week, and will open to all students on September 3. While we anticipate scheduling the Open House for an evening in late September, the adjustment of the students and teachers is the first priority, so we haven’t set a date just yet.

To be notified of the Open House date, please submit the following, and the PTA will contact you via email:

http://fpepta.digitalpto.com/alums-and-neighbors/

Please share with your fellow alums and neighbors!

Go Falcons!

Enthusiastically,

Hillary Shaw

Interim President, Fairmount Park Elementary PTA
president@fpepta.org | http://www.fpepta.org

Shaz August 22, 2014 (1:22 pm)

Thank you, Hillary, for the information on how to sign up!

Frank G August 27, 2014 (10:51 am)

And where’s the parking? Will this be street parking? I feel sorry for the people leaving in the surrounding blocks, it looks to me they didn’t consider how the locals would be impacted by the extra vehicles due to students and teachers alike.

Sorry, comment time is over.