Jefferson High School
Portland Public Schools, Portland, Oregon
Some vintage school buildings aren't worth saving, even if the history and tradition that surround them are.

<< Return to charrette index  |  << Previous - Page 2 of 2

Existing site
A football field separates Jefferson High School from the Portland Community College campus.

A new campus
Four academies organized around a mall would share an entry building for the administrative offices, auditorium, retail, cafeteria, and other spaces.

Linking the past to the future
The main administration building acts as a gateway to the new campus. A central element would be the "Jeff Wall," a collection of trophies and memorabilia that honor the neighborhood and the original high school building. A proposed bridge would connect the school with Portland Community College across the street.

Many members of the community are reluctant to give up the old building because its long and glorious tradition symbolizes not just the history of the school, but of the neighborhood as well. Creating a means of carrying these memories forward was essential to the new complex. The charrette team decided that one way of doing this would be to create a "Jeff Wall." It would house trophies and memorabilia from the past, and represent expectations for the future. It was further proposed that an image of the original Jefferson High School would be etched into the second floor glazing of the administration building and would face the street.

The Jeff Wall concept became a central organizing feature around which the building housing the administrative offices, library and media center, food service, and gymnasium could be designed, and connected to the community and community college. Because public/private partnerships have become important ways of helping offset costs, it was visualized that the first floor of the administration building could house a Starbuck's or other vendor, or even a community-service function such as a low-cost medical clinic. A bridge over the street to the community college would act as a physical connection, and classrooms built next to it would allow the college extra capacity as well as provide meeting space for the community's use.

The charrette team did not want to stop there, and also began reviewing how the nearby elementary school could be rebuilt on nearby unused property owned by Portland Public Schools. Such an addition would complete the group's vision of an educational experience that begins in kindergarten and proceeds through community college on a single site.

Design diagrams Zone diagrams (top row) start basic and become more and more specific until a solution can be turned into perspective sketches. One sketch (bottom left) shows the layout of the academies; another (bottom right) explores zones in the administration building.