Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 15, 1995 TAG: 9511150023
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The historic front of Breckinridge Middle School in Roanoke will be saved when the school undergoes a $6 million reconstruction that will provide a new building and retain the tree-lined entranceway.
The school's original facade can be integrated into the new building without significant additional expense, architects said. The circular drive at the front of the school will also be preserved.
Alumni and parents of Breckinridge students want to preserve the front because of the school's history and significance to the Williamson Road neighborhood. The school was built in the 1930s and was William Fleming High School until the early 1960s. Thousands of Roanoke Valley residents graduated from the school.
School officials said it will be easier to save Breckinridge's facade than Stonewall Jackson Middle School's front because Breckinridge has fewer floors and more land for reconstruction.
The Jackson building was razed last summer despite opposition from some residents in Southeast Roanoke who wanted to save the facade and incorporate it into a new structure.
Architects said the Jackson building could not be renovated to provide the labs and configuration of classrooms needed for a modern middle school. Another complicating factor at Jackson was that the main entrance was moved from the Ninth Street side of the school to Montrose Avenue.
The main entrance at Breckinridge, at 3901 Williamson Road N.W., will remain the same.
Parent-Teacher Association leaders at Breckinridge have been nervous about the plans because of the controversy over the razing at Jackson.
Superintendent Wayne Harris said most of the Breckinridge building, except for the facade and gymnasium, will be torn down. The plans call for construction of a new building for classrooms, technical laboratories, library, media center, cafeteria and kitchen.
He said the front section of the new building will be at the same elevation as the original building, which will avoid access problems.
The preliminary design plans for the project have been given to the School Board. The plans were developed by Rife & Wood Architects, Roanoke, with input from a building committee that includes Principal Helen Townsend, teachers and parents.
Breckinridge will be closed next year for the reconstruction. It is the second of four middle schools in Roanoke to be renovated. Woodrow Wilson will be refurbished in 1998, and Addison in 1999.
The city recently completed the renovation of its seven oldest elementary schools at a cost of $17.4 million. Wasena, the last to be refurbished, reopened in September.
While Breckinridge Middle is closed, the school's sixth-graders will attend Madison Middle School; seventh-graders will go to Jackson Middle, which will reopen next year; and eighth-graders will attend Ruffner Middle.
Breckinridge's teachers and staff will be distributed among the three schools based on grade level and need. Breckinridge's equipment and educational materials will be moved with the appropriate grades to the transfer schools.
Some Jackson students are attending Breckinridge this year.
Breckinridge's gymnasium and dressing rooms will be renovated, and repairs will be made in the basement to eliminate a water seepage problem.
Harris said the reconstructed Breckinridge school will include: a new bus drop-off and entry plaza; central administrative and guidance offices; 22 new classrooms; 10 technology and science labs; a state-of-the-art media center; teacher workrooms; and an elevator for handicapped access. It will be air-conditioned.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $6,375,000 - $6 million for construction and $375,000 in architects' fees. It will be financed with a $5 million state Literary Fund loan and $1,375,000 from a city bond issue.
by CNB