Kids to return to Coe Elementary on Monday
"The community mourned," she said. "But with every tragedy, a new door is opened."
When a rebuilt Coe reopens Monday morning, school officials say, the 325 kindergarten through fifth-grade students will enter a building whose exterior is similar to that of the original 1907 structure but which abounds with amenities more conducive to educating children in the 21st century.
"You're never going to replace 100 years of memories, and the worn steps and hallways," said Principal David Elliott, who took the helm at the Seattle school just months before the fire. "But educationally, this building has bigger classrooms, our spaces are better laid out. ... In so many ways, this building will be better for our kids and our educational needs."
The new three-story, 68,048-square-foot school, 2424 Seventh Ave. W., has views of Puget Sound, the Olympics and the Cascades. It was designed by Seattle's Mahlum Architects to provide space for nearly 400 students.
Before the landmark school was reduced to ashes Jan. 21, 2001, it was more than halfway through a $14.7 million renovation and expansion that began in June 2000. Damage from the fire increased the total cost of the project to $25.5 million, with insurance covering about $9 million.
Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Sue Stengl said the cause of the fire remains undetermined and the case is no longer being actively investigated.
Along with 19 other Seattle schools, Coe was included in Phase I of the district's Building Excellence program, a multimillion-dollar project to rebuild or refurbish aging Seattle School District campuses.
Seattle voters approved capital-projects levies in 1995 and 2001 totaling $728 million to renovate 36 campuses. District spokeswoman Lynn Steinberg said the opening of Coe marks the completion of Phase I. Also completed this school year under Phase I were West Seattle High School and Greenwood Elementary.
Coe students, who have been using the former Magnolia Elementary as a temporary home since 2000, plan to make a grand entrance into their new abode. Monday morning, students and teachers will line up in paradelike fashion at the main entrance for a building tour. An official grand opening is scheduled for Feb. 1.
While some work, such as paneling, still needs to be completed in the next few weeks, teachers are setting up their classrooms. They say the new building is amazing.
Elliott, who already has old baseball trophies and memorabilia displayed in his office, says he likes the retention of the colonial revival look, complete with three-story columns, brick base, portico and tall windows.
He's also impressed with new features, such as a three-story atrium that leads to a skylight, and the numerous areas for small-group activities and tutoring.
This week, fourth-grader Analise Brock couldn't wait for school to start and took her grandmother and her dog, Penny, on a tour of the new school.
"I'm excited about the new building and how big it is," she said. "It's bigger than the old one."
Karen Taylor, a Coe parent who lives across the street from the school and was the first person to call the Fire Department the night of the blaze, said she's missed hearing the sounds of children playing. She also thinks Coe was due for some good fortune.
"It's going to be different," she said. "We've gone from being the ugly duckling to the fancy place. We'll be very popular, and I think Coe deserves that."
J.J. Jensen: 206-464-2386 or jjensen@seattletimes.com.