West Seattle scenes: School-demolition crews move to main buildings at Genesee Hill, Arbor Heights

| Arbor Heights | Genesee Hill | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(UPDATED Wednesday morning with two more views of Arbor Heights)

ORIGINAL REPORT, 10:50 PM TUESDAY: If you’ve been meaning to go take a look at what’s left of the former Genesee Hill and/or Arbor Heights elementary schools before they’re completely demolished, you’re running out of time. As of this afternoon, main-building teardown is under way at both sites – above, our photo from GH; below, Tim Eannarino shared the photo from AH this morning:

(Also, a few closeup views caught Robin Adams‘ eye.) The new schools to be built on these sites are both scheduled to open in 2016.

ADDED 9:04 AM WEDNESDAY: Thanks to Mike for sharing these next two Arbor Heights photos:

We checked again with the school district and they still don’t expect to settle on the new AHES’s final size until next spring (they could build it for 500 students or 650; the current school, temporarily housed at the Boren Building, is adding a third kindergarten class, so growth is continuing).

G September 16, 2014 (11:03 pm)

Adios, alma mater.

Marie September 16, 2014 (11:26 pm)

Wonderful memories of the old pathfinder…

Karen Lyons September 17, 2014 (7:03 am)

PROTECT the Heritage American Elm at Genesee! He looks magnificent despite the demolition going on around him. If you have a change, stop by and see the tree. It’s the huge tree with bright yellow fall leaves on the edge of the hillside, the east side of the playground.

Worrisome Will September 17, 2014 (11:02 am)

Glad I don’t live right next door. I’m guessing there is a lot of asbestos and lead dust pluming in the air and onto area lots.

WSB September 17, 2014 (11:03 am)

Abatement was done before demolition, “WW.”

fulana September 17, 2014 (6:49 pm)

yay for the children!!!

Ws parent September 17, 2014 (11:00 pm)

Karen, doesn’t the plan call for saving that elm and the other large trees on the site?
This is a great move forward for kids in the neighborhood! I wish it was opening sooner!

Shame September 18, 2014 (7:55 am)

More tax money down the drain for the Architectural Welfare Complex. Once the school district gets these shiny new toys, what will their excuse be?

Perfectly good buildings, demolished for the vanity of an incompetent administration. And before anyone chimes in with the old “you can’t educate a child in a fifty year old building” canard, tell me why – under that “logic” – we haven’t demolished half of the UW campus and almost all of the Seattle high schools.

WSB September 18, 2014 (8:53 am)

Arbor Heights was not “perfectly good” by anyone’s measure, as shown and discussed throughout the process leading up to it (see story below for examples). Genesee Hill, can’t speak to.
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https://westseattleblog.com/2012/04/merge-arbor-heightsroxhill-principals-say-it-surprised-them-too/

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