Demolition of 111-year-old school to resume due to safety risk, Pierce Co. says
Crews will resume the demolition of the historic Alderton School house, which is more than halfway torn down, a Pierce County spokesperson said Friday. They stopped demolition May 18 after the county realized the permit was issued in error.
Pierce County’s Planning & Public Works department issued a permit in March to demolish the 111-year-old school and adjacent gym at 9512 state Route 162, according to records on the county’s website. Demolition of the school began on May 18, but halted after the county issued a stop work order later that day. A notice posted at the site said a historic preservation officer’s approval was needed.
“Pierce County Planning and Public Works has identified that a demolition permit was issued in error in March 2026 for two structures at 9512 Orting Hwy E. County staff did not identify that the structures were listed on the historic register before the permit was issued,” county spokesperson Maranatha Hay said in an emailed statement to The News Tribune May 19.
The gymnasium next to the school is still standing.
County officials lifted the stop work order for the school building Friday because they determined the partially demolished building “poses an immediate health and safety risk,” Hay told The News Tribune via email.
“... specifically due to the presence of asbestos-containing materials exposed during demolition,” she wrote. “Under Pierce County Code 2.88.040, an immediate threat of this nature does not require Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission review prior to action.”
Hay wrote that the contractor does not expect to resume demolition until next week. The day that will happen is up to the contractor.
On May 20, the county told The News Tribune both structures would be under the stop work order until the matter went before the Landmark and Historic Preservation Commission at their June meeting.
“The Stop Work Order remains in effect for the gym, with the exception of allowing the completion of the asbestos abatement inside the structure. That structure will go through the full Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission review process in June before any further demolition activity can proceed,” Hay said.
The Alderton School was built in 1915. It has been listed on the Pierce County Register of Historic Places since 1986, the Washington Heritage Register since 1987, and the National Register of Historic Places since 1987.
“Listing on such registries recognizes a property’s historical significance but does not, by itself, prevent private ownership, use, alteration, or demolition,” Hay previously told The News Tribune.
The building was last used as an elementary school in 1958, The Courier-Herald reported. The school and gym have recently sat vacant.
There are no other active pre-applications or permits on file for the property indicating future development plans, Hay told The News Tribune.
The buildings’ owner, Alderton Way LLC, submitted an application for the demolition in February. The News Tribune has reached out to them for comment.
Maxine Herbert-Hill, a local who attended the school in the 1950s, is one of the alumni who shared memories and hopes for the property with The News Tribune this week. She said that the building had been dilapidated for a long time. The school’s roof had caved in, a section of the gym roof had caved in, and people had been trespassing onto the property, she said.
