Built in 1911 to replace the original 1887 school on the site, Fern Hill Elementary was an important and memorable place for many area residents. When the school district planned a teardown and complete replacement, community outcry led to the district changing course. BLRB’s charge was to design a facility that first and foremost meets educational program goals, but that also celebrates the school’s long history and honors the community’s ties to the facility.

The design process included an extensive and formal community outreach program, which was key to the success of the project. Through these meetings, where memories were shared and ideas for community use were discussed, a design emerged that necessitated tearing down a less historic addition built in 1925 but that retained and highlighted the original structure. Because of the collaborative planning process, the community understood the reasons behind the plan and embraced the concept.

The design calls for re-using and upgrading the historic, three-story building and adding new construction to house the modern program elements required in a contemporary elementary school. A new bell tower on the main building provides visibility for the historic bell, which has been with the school since 1888. A new school entrance leads into the "Heritage Hall,” a display space celebrating school and community history. The community’s needs are met, and when complete, the educational program will have a building that supports its goals.

Fern Hill puts historic preservation in a “green” context. The school was designed to comply with the recently adopted State of Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol for High Performance Schools. Sustainable features include water conservation by way of rainwater harvesting and the use of rain gardens for storm water management. Daylighting is maximized, and all electric lighting is controlled by occupancy sensors and photo-cell controls. The design called for the reuse of existing building materials and the selection of many building materials with high recycle content. All interior finishes were carefully selected to be non-toxic with low- or no-VOC content.

2005 Preservation Award, Tacoma Landmarks Preservation Commission

"BLRB Architects receives my highest recommendation. The project was more than bricks and mortar to them. It is the journey they travel with you in creating a quality educational facility that sets BLRB apart from the rest of the field!"

-Mario Marsillo, Principal

Grades K-5
350 students
54,630 SF
Construction Cost: $11,800,000
Completed 2006