Crews start demolishing downtown Puyallup school building constructed in 1962
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- Crews began demolishing Puyallup High’s Library Science Building on July 14.
- The 1962 building faced closure in 2023 due to $4.5 million that it needed in repairs
- Demolition precedes long-term upgrades; bond funding remains under discussion.
Crews began demolishing Puyallup High School’s Library Science Building on July 14, Puyallup School District spokesperson Sarah Gillispie told The News Tribune in an email that day.
The $300,000 demolition process began in May with the removal of hazardous material in the building, Brady Martin, the district’s executive director of construction planning, told The News Tribune in an interview on July 15.
“These early efforts ensure the safety of workers, protect the surrounding campus environment, and pave the way for a clean, efficient demolition process,” according to a post on the Puyallup School District’s website.
Now crews are in the breakdown phase of the project. This process will take a few weeks and will conclude in August, before the 2025-26 school year begins, Martin said.
The building was built in 1962 and underwent multiple renovations until the late 1980s, the district’s website says. It had classrooms for science and art classes and housed the school’s library.
Its doors closed in September 2023 due to mechanical and safety issues, Martin said.
It would cost $4.5 million just to make the building safe, Martin said. The district attempted twice this year to pass an $800 million bond to fund capital projects across the district, including replacing the Library-Science Building. Both times the measure failed to get the votes it needed to pass., The News Tribune reported.
The district decided to demolish the building as they prepare long-term solutions, he said.
Portable classrooms have been used since Jan. 6, 2025, as a short-term solution to the school’s overcrowding and lack of space, he said. The district turned a classroom into a lab and uses the staff lounge for art classes to fill the void.
In lieu of a library, the school is using a 500-square-foot space to store borrowed books from other schools in the district, The News Tribune reported on Jan. 31.
“The Library-Science Building’s removal is a significant first step toward alleviating overcrowding and preparing for future facility upgrades when bond funding is available,” the district’s website says.
After the building is torn down, the site will be rehabilitated into a grassy area until further plans for the site are approved, Martin said.
Asked what’s next for the site and capital project funding, he said the district is in the bond-planning process.
