They're slowly tearing down my old high school

"gmctavish needs more space" (gmctavish) 08/11/2018 at 16:03 • Filed to: Photography

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They’ve been earthquake-proofing some sections of the school, and tearing down others and putting up new sections in their place. It’s gonna be a strange building when it’s done. The original plan was to build a whole new school on the rugby field, and then tear down the old one and put the field there instead. They had to go with this strange plan instead, because it turns out the rugby field is on top of an old landfill.

Two of the new Brentwood towers under construction. Eventually there will be 11 towers.

Longtime Lurker > gmctavish needs more space 08/11/2018 at 16:25

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When was the school originally built? The high school I went was a 75 year old building with a 10 year old l ibrary smack dab in the middle of the school.

Svend > gmctavish needs more space 08/11/2018 at 16:35

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My old school has been turned into luxury apartments. As has been the old stable house.

As it stands now.

First is the old stables, then the front of the school. 

facw > gmctavish needs more space 08/11/2018 at 16:42

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My middle-school was completely demolished and replaced with a new building, which seemed entirely unnecessary.

They obviously needed more space (all those temporary classrooms weren’t there when I attended, in fact the school had previously been shuttered completely due to lack of demand), but tearing down everything instead of just building an addition seems like overkill. There was a plan to preserve the original cafeteria and gym, but they decided it would be better to redo everything. Students were sent to an unused school building in the next town over during the rebuilding.

Chariotoflove > facw 08/11/2018 at 16:55

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They did mine too, but it was totally necessary. It was the original school for the township, and was too old, leaky, and difficult to maintain. But it had lots of character. 

gmctavish needs more space > Longtime Lurker 08/11/2018 at 17:21

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1950 I believe, but two parts  of it were added later on

gmctavish needs more space > facw 08/11/2018 at 17:23

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They’ve been replacing or totally structurally changing every school in Burnaby to make sure they’re all earthquake proof or resistant. Mine was the second last high school in the city to get done, there’s one left now, with the largest grounds and most students. That should be interesting to see 

gmctavish needs more space > Svend 08/11/2018 at 17:24

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Wow. Those are quite the buildings. Sometimes I forget that not every country has buildings that only go back 100 years or so. 

fhrblig > gmctavish needs more space 08/11/2018 at 17:49

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The high school that my older sister and I graduated from is no longer a high school. It’s centrally located in Colorado Springs, but no one that lives in that neighborhood has kids anymore. There was a mass exodus out to the north and east sides of the Springs that happened over the last 20 years and the neighborhood aged out. It’s a shame because the building is still in great shape and it has a swimming pool, plus the district’s stadium is next door to it. I think it’s operating as a charter school now.

Longtime Lurker > gmctavish needs more space 08/11/2018 at 17:58

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It kinda adds character, the mix of old and new.

gmctavish needs more space > Longtime Lurker 08/11/2018 at 18:07

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I imagine it would. The newer sections at my school were built to be essentially the same as the older main section. My elementary school had some real character too , it was built in 1923

Svend > gmctavish needs more space 08/11/2018 at 19:22

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This was originally owned by a merchant banker, mayor and magistrate by the name of George Head Head in early 19th century.

It later became a hospital during the First World War for recuperating Canadians or Americans, after the war it became a school for children from rural outlawing villages, it remained a school for 40 years before the council eventually closed it to cut back on finances and was going to be a football training academy, then they thought a head quarters for a local haulage firm before finally being sold to a local building company who turned existing buildings into luxury apartments and built other houses on the old grass tennis courts, clay tennis courts and football pitch. 

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > facw 08/11/2018 at 21:42

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It’s much easier to demo and start over rather than retrofit and add additions.  Cost wise it doesn’t take long before the demo and start over costs become on par with the selective demo and remodel costs.  And you can get the more efficient building in the end.