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The "mock-up" room being built on the third floor shows the teal accent wall planned for classrooms on that floor and the white acoustical panels that should help improve sound during class instruction. Photo: Kyle Johnson

City officials have opted for the deluxe model of the Eastern Senior High School renovation. The most recent estimate of the remodeling cost – $57.2 million – is largely in line with estimates provided in June, but some of the designs have been changed substantially. For example, original schematics called for renovating the two courtyards in the middle of the 288,000-square-foot school. Project managers hoped to put a skylight covering on one of those courtyards, so it could be used year-round.

When Mayor Adrian Fenty and OPEFM Executive Director Allen Lew led a ceremonial groundbreaking of the site in November, however, the plans had changed, and both courtyards will now be covered. New classroom space will be added below each courtyard, and arched walkways will lead from the school's hallways to the courtyards. The end result should be a large gathering area with a lot of light.

The auditorium, likewise, will receive a more substantial change than originally expected. The auditorium's chairs are currently being refurbished at a shop in North Carolina. When they are reinstalled in the space, the side walls will have been replaced with large windows looking into the surrounding hallways. The windows will be equipped with electronic blinds to block the light during performances.

Other finishing touches elsewhere in the school – such as the renovation of the hand-carved original ornamental ceiling near the school entrance and the restoration of a small stage on the third floor – have also received the blessing of Fenty, Lew and the DC Council, which had to agree to the uptick in the cost of the project.

“I’m excited about our progress and the exceptionally high standards we have set,” Lew said at the ceremonial groundbreaking.

Although a few new elements have been introduced in the renovation, the timeline still holds firm: OPEFM targets the finish date as July 15, although a spokesman said work may end closer to Aug. 1. Either way, Eastern should be reopened in time for students to start the 2010-2011 school year inside the building.

Now that building planning is nearly completed, a 3-D video tour of the design has been released. That video is available on the DC Public Schools website, www.dcps.dc.gov. Click on "The Future of Eastern High School" under the parents and community tab at the top-right corner of the website.

Oldies but Goodies
When Eastern was sealed off to allow workers to remove hazardous materials and prepare the site for new construction, project leaders were hoping to reuse some of the original elements of the 1923-built structure. Now that all that preparation work is complete, it seems that their wish has been granted.

In many of the school's hallways, the original red brick that had languished for years under a thick layer of plaster will now be left exposed. The brick, in many areas, is still in excellent condition.

In areas where new masonry has been poured – such as a new bathroom on the third floor and a slab covering a hole in the original bricks – project leaders are planning to paint the bricks, possibly with murals of the school's history, an OPEFM spokesman said.

The original wood flooring will be restored in all classrooms except the science rooms. Before being treated, the wood looked almost black, with scratches and markings reflecting the years of neglect and use the floorboards had experienced. In a "mock-up" classroom under construction on the third floor, however, the restored floorboards had regained their original brown color.

The terra cotta tiles lining many of the hallways will also be restored and kept in place. In second-floor classrooms, where the terra cotta floor on the third level forms the ceiling, the material will be left exposed underneath square acoustical tiles that should help improve sound quality.

One more aspect of the school's original design will likely be highlighted when classes start up next fall.

The steel beams that help to support the structure are dotted with quarter-sized rivets. Project managers frequently point these rivets out on tours of the site, because they were all created by hand, a laborious and impressive technique that has long since been replaced by the use of machines. The builders hope to leave some of the beams exposed to showcase this architectural craftsmanship.

A New Focus on Eastern
DCPS planning for the redesigned academic program is still underway, but a recent change could help speed up the process. Shelley Johnson, the director of the DCPS Office of Teaching and Learning, has been placed in charge of planning for Eastern. Prior to that, planning for the new academic structure had been handled by people in various departments within DCPS. Johnson has had previous experience designing other programs of study.

Johnson said that new planning groups will be formed in the coming weeks to wrap up details of the redesigned academic program. Those interested in serving in these groups should contact Johnson at shelley.johnson@dc.gov.

The change in planning comes right before many details will be finalized. For starters, the selection of small learning communities should be soon. Two have already been chosen: a health academy, based on the program already operating at the school, and a freshmen academy for all first-year students. The other two communities have not been formally announced, but DCPS officials have advocated a law and government program for months, and a community based around International Baccalaureate courses (highlighted in the November Hill Rag column) seems likely. The Eastern planning section of the DCPS website contains some sample student schedules based around these four communities, as well as other information for parents and interested community members.