With the close of the last day of classes at the Bruce-Monroe @ Park View School on June 15th will come the start of the modernization of the historic 96 year old building. Starting on Saturday, June 16th, construction will begin in earnest in order to get the building back in order for the start of school in the fall.
The work that will soon begin will be the first of three planned phases that will ultimately end in 2018 and bring the building up to modern standards and expectations for educational facilities today. During the eight to nine weeks of construction, work will begin around 7 a.m. and continue as late as possible. The construction is not expected to cause much noise or inconvenience for the community. The most noticeable impact on the surrounding community appears to be along the Warder Street side of the school.
In looking at the traffic plan below, it is clear that no streets will be closed during construction. Warder Street, however, will be reduced to parking on the east and a center travel lane. The parking lane on the west will be used for storage containers, dumpsters, and staging.
The work this summer will focus on classrooms, restrooms, and administration areas of the school. The cafeteria and gymnasium will get some freshening up, but will not be modernized in this phase of the project. The auditorium will be left entirely to a latter phase as well.
About 60% of the work will focus on infrastructure and services — new electrical, HVAC, computer cabling, and plumbing. To support the increased need for power, the building will get a heavy up.
The other 40% of the work will focus on fit and finishes of the renovated classrooms. In the original 1916 building the plan is to restore the original woodwork. To create space for all the technology infrastructure the ceilings will be dropped. In the 1931 wings of the building there is no woodwork in the classrooms, so the walls in those rooms will be furred out to make space for the cabling there.
Those wanting more details about the modernization of the school will have an opportunity at the June 13th ANC 1A meeting where DGS is expected to make a presentation to the Commission. Meetings start at 7:00 p.m. and are held at the Harriet Tubman Elementary School, 13th Street N.W. (Gymnasium).
"The territory comprising Park View extends from Gresham Street north to Rock Creek Church Road, and from Georgia Avenue to the Soldiers' Home grounds, including the triangle bounded by Park Road, Georgia Avenue, and New Hampshire Avenue" (from Directory and History of Park View, 1921.)
