Construction Updates
Schedule
Abatement is beginning in October. Most work is internal and likely will not be highly noticeable from the street, aside from increased traffic in and out of the building, until the windows are removed. Removal of the old Edison building will begin soon thereafter.
Major construction for the new Edison school building will begin in earnest in early 2021. See the design here.
Reuse of Historic Artifacts
Many reusable items have been or will be salvaged from the old building for reuse in our community. Some Edison fixtures, from shelves to door handles, are for sale at BRING Recycling. Others will be reused or recycled, while a few notable items will be repurposed more prominently.
The items of historic or sentimental value that will be repurposed in the new school, if they can be safely salvaged intact, include:
- Five character traits murals will be reframed and displayed prominently in the new building.
- Globe light fixtures from the front entry will be renovated and installed at the new entry arch.
- Pendant light from the east stairwell will be installed in the new main entry exterior vestibule.
- Copper-topped cupolas (sometimes referred to as “bell towers”) will be removed with the intent of salvaging enough material to create a kiosk, which would incorporate an information display and the Edison Little Free Library, in a small plaza on the west side of the school.
- Cornerstone will be salvaged and incorporated into the cupola kiosk area or into an historic display.
- Edison School “stone” sign will be removed and placed on the west façade of the new building near the community garden.
- Address numerals will be salvaged and incorporated on the new building.
- Some bricks from the entryway will be salvaged and incorporated into the plaza area for the cupola/kiosk. (The archway’s green “tiles” are actually a painted part of cast concrete units and are not salvageable.)
Some bricks will also be set aside for families and neighbors who would like one as a memento.
The original porcelain pedestal drinking fountains from the main entrance hall are not ADA accessible and will not be incorporated into the new building, but the district has invited SUNA leaders to help find a new public home for these pedestal fountains if possible. If neighbors have ideas please email them to info@sunaeugene.org!
Swing School
At 29th & Lincoln, the Willard swing school facility was completed this summer. Teachers and staff are moved in and some are teaching online from the new classrooms. The Willard site will house Edison Elementary School during construction from 2020–2022, until the new school building opens in fall 2022.