After nearly two years, Hamilton Middle School’s renovation is nearly complete. Huzzah! Over the last month, I’ve noticed a skeleton crew coming in early on Saturday mornings, which leads me to believe they’re working pretty hard to wrap everything up. During the next few weeks, the contractor plans to finish landscaping the north end of the property which butts up against the Wallingford Playfield. Hopefully, this means we’ll have that length of running trail replaced soon (thanks to Wallyhood reader Greg, for providing us with your insight). Other than the playfield, crews are adding finishing touches on the landscaping around the rest of the school.
All that remains to do on the inside is to run inspections on the fire alarm system and the elevators; they’ll also add finishing touches to some of the classrooms, including the band/orchestra room and the multi-purpose room. All of the electrical fixture and trim installation is complete, and the kitchen has most of the equipment installed.
Neighbors in the immediate Hamilton and Lincoln areas: be on the lookout for a mailer from BEX/Seattle Schools with a final construction update, including a construction task list of remaining items left to do over the summer, and dates for upcoming open house celebrations. We’ll be sure to post that information here as well.
I’m pretty psyched the construction is nearly complete and I look forward to the open house. It’s been a lot of fun reporting these updates to you, dear Wallyhood readers, and now I’ll leave you with one thing to ponder: what is with those finials on the roof? I know they’re bolted down, but it seems like one small tremor and KAPLOOEY!
Visit the BEX website at bex.seattleschools.org <http://bex.seattleschools.org/hamilton.html> to see construction photos, news, updates and more to keep you up-to-date on the construction progress (sorry to misinform readers previously about the construction site webcam as there isn’t one at Hamilton).
Please contact the on-site Hamilton project manager, Michael Romero, at 206.633.1000 or [email protected] at any time if you have any questions or concerns about the project or construction-related activities.
Please note: for safety reasons, visitor access is not permitted on the construction site at this time.
KAPLOOEY!
Those adornments on the roof above the main entrance appear in some old photos of Hamilton that I’ve seen. I’m glad they restored them.
Please note that the landscaping is in two parts at the north end of Hamilton: the narrow east-west strip adjacent to the school is on School District property; the east-west strip that abuts the actual grassy playfield is still part of our public park (where the community butterfly garden used to be). The park reclaimed their some of their land (from where the old retaining wall was south to the center line of closed off 42nd Street between Densmore and Woodlawn, where the basketball hoops and asphalt were).
@Adam, thanks for letting us know. I think it’s cool, too, that they’ve replaced them; but it makes me wonder what happened to them the first time around? And if these new ones will suffer the same fate?
@Luddite, thanks for providing the info. But just so I’m clear, does that mean, then that we won’t see the community butterfly garden again, since–if I read your comment correctly–that was a part of the park that the SPARC did not reclaim?
The Butterfly Garden is gone. Boulders, mature trees, plants, winged critters . . . Seattle Parks and Recreation accepted School District funded landscape plans that both plant on the school property and in the abutting public park section. Plans call for access from the school to the park, a step-amphitheater, redesigned walkways. The Landscape Architect involved favors native plantings so perhaps some elements will be reinstated. Parks reclaimed their property that began at the old retaining wall south of the Butterfly Garden south to the centerline of the abandoned 42nd (where the asphalt basketball courts used to be). There may be some jogs to the property lines but basically school property ends at the old centerline. (Plainspeak: the public park is not PE space for middle school students unless they sign up repeatedly through Parks for casual, scheduled use. The Senior Walking path is primarily that, not a true track, adding to the confusion.)
Thanks for your explanation. I do hope, then, that the Landscape Architect does bring at least some of those elements back. It’s too bad, though, because I really enjoyed that space. It was nice to have that ugly retaining wall “hidden” by its lush foliage and overall, just a great space to walk through.