Look inside historic school that’ll become much-needed Pierce County community center
Walking through the 116-year-old Parkland School is a journey to another time.
Some classroom chalkboards still bear the names and scribbles of past students. Hidden nooks in some empty rooms reveal coat hangers, cubbies and storage closets. Wood frames the windows and doorways, and wooden banisters from 1908 appear noticeably lighter in color from centuries of use.
After two years of hard work and advocacy, the Parkland Community Association has successfully prevented the 214 121st St. S. building from being demolished to make way for apartments. This fall it’ll get new life when it reopens as a much-needed Parkland community center.
There’s still a lot of work to do before then, including a roof replacement, new carpet, new paint and continued fundraising to pay Pacific Lutheran University for the building, Wendy Freeman, volunteer and co-secretary of the Parkland Community Association, told The News Tribune during a Tuesday tour of the building.
The association needs to raise $2.1 million in the next two years, including $1.05 million by April 2025 to pay PLU, association member and Save Parkland School Project consultant Phil Edlund told The News Tribune last month. The group is accepting donations online and via check.
All in all, the building’s in pretty good shape, and the association has many nonprofit agencies and community groups interested in renting space, Freeman said.
The goal is to have the building become a mix of office space, recreation space and space for events and meetings, she said. That could include space for classrooms, conferences, training sessions, courses and community resources, in addition to youth and senior programming.
A wood-floor 1937 gymnasium will likely host basketball games and other sports, and the theater is in good shape with lots of storage, Freeman said. The kitchen and washroom could be a place for classes and meals as well, she said.
“Our goals are focused on what the community gave us feedback about: health and wellness, the fitness aspect, inter-generational youth and seniors,” Freeman said. “[The building] deserves to be saved, it really does. She’s a good old girl and she’ll serve the community well.”
This story was originally published June 5, 2024 at 10:00 AM.
