The History of Our School Buildings
One of the first schools in the territory, this is the Olympia School District’s first school from 1852, located at 5th and Washington where you can now get treats at Lolli Llama Candy. We’ll begin revisiting our history over the coming weeks and what has happened to our buildings (all 19.5 of them), in light of the district’s plans to close 4 buildings & ask this community for a bond to build a new one.
Avanti High School
When the current Avanti High School was built in 1924, there were around 9,000 residents in the Olympia School District, and 6 schools. McKinley School, Washington School, Lincoln School, Roosevelt School, Garfield School, and William Winlock Miller (Olympia) High School. The old Washington School, built in 1891, faced Quince St in the future Daley Arts Center Building’s current location. Famed Washington architect, Joseph Wohleb (Capitol Theater, Olympia Press Building, the future Daley Arts Center Building) was awarded the contract for a new building for $115,500, outside his architect fee. The coal tunnel below the building leads to the Madison bus barn!
The school operated as Washington School and Washington Junior High before outgrowing the space in the late 1960s. It then became the district office or ‘Old Washington.’ In 1987, it was renamed the Knox Administrative Center in honor of Esther Knox, the longest serving board member in the district (1952-1983), and voluntary district historian. Her guideline for schools is just as important today, “Is it good for the kids?”
In 1997, Olympia Alternative High School opened in the bottom two floors, and was renamed by inaugural principal Rich Matzen as Avanti, an Italian word meaning, ‘go forward & welcome.’ The Avanti remodel was in the 2016 bond. The administrative center moved into the Olympian Building. The third phase of the remodel remains incomplete.
