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Ankrom Moisan Architects associate Blaine Burris knows that designing a McMenamins hotel often involves stepping back and letting a team of artists help transform old buildings so that they can accommodate new uses.

鈥淎s far as atmosphere goes, they pretty much go the full nine yards,鈥� Burris said. 鈥淎 lot of what we do 鈥� it’s like assembling an armature and creating opportunities for the artists to fill in spaces.鈥�

A $23 million project to turn an 83-year-old ex-middle school in Bothell, Wash., into a 72-room hotel with a brewery, a restaurant, bars, event spaces, a movie theater and a pool, was no exception for Ankrom Moisan staffers who have designed dozens of locations for Portland-based McMenamins Inc. The challenge was finding a way to reuse the five existing Anderson School buildings while staying to true their original intent, history and connection to the surrounding community, said Mario Espinosa, an Ankrom Moisan senior associate.

鈥淭he idea is all about the locale,鈥� Espinosa said. 鈥淚f it’s a school, there are things that make it significant. You’re not restoring. You’re repurposing it.鈥�

Crews from general contractors Andersen Construction and Pacific Crest Construction recently started construction on the 5.4-acre Anderson School site along Bothell Way Northeast, slightly north of Washington State Route 522. To close a funding gap for the project, McMenamins co-founders and brothers Mike and Brian McMenamin raised $8 million via crowdfunding.

Plans call for converting the W.A. Anderson Building 鈥� a three-story, 55,000-square-foot former middle school built in the 1930s 鈥� into a hotel. The 30,000-square-foot former gym will become a conference center, an event space and a movie theater; a 33,000-square-foot building that once housed shop classes will become a brewery; and the 28,000-square-foot ex-cafeteria will become a restaurant and lobby.

The project also involves transformation of a 26,000-square-foot former community pool building into an indoor tropical oasis, complete with a heated soaking pool, real palm trees and a mezzanine-level bar in place of bleachers.

鈥淲e’re going to shallow it a bit so it’s not an exercise pool, (but) just a lounging pool,鈥� Espinosa said. 鈥淭he idea is to take that Olympic look of the pool and turn it more into an environment.鈥�

The design team toyed with the idea of removing the roof to create an open-air pool, but eventually decided to leave it, Burris said. Instead, the renovation will give the building a more open feel via additional wall openings and skylights. Bamboo accents and tropical plants will enhance the island-themed atmosphere, he said.

鈥淲e’re working to soften 鈥� this to break down this monolithic look to it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he idea is to have that feel of authenticity.鈥�

The five existing buildings will surround a central courtyard with a covered walkway around the perimeter and the only new construction 鈥� a 360-square-foot 鈥渟hed鈥� bar.

Most of the existing buildings were constructed in the 1960s and ’70s and have a strictly utilitarian look, Burris said. This makes the ornate exterior 鈥� including a brick facade and large windows 鈥� of the 1930s Anderson Building stand out, he said.

鈥淭he outside was the jewel,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e’re preserving it.鈥�

Although the Anderson Building will retain its original facade, the interior was gutted in a previous renovation into office space. To convert the building into a hotel, crews will remove drop ceilings to restore the original 12-foot height in the rooms, and use other touches to remind visitors that it was once a school. The large former classroom windows will remain untouched.

鈥淚t looked like a modern office building,鈥� Mike McMenamin said. 鈥淲e’ll bring it back to what it looked like.鈥�

The idea is to acknowledge the building’s history, which will be enhanced via historic photographs, paintings and murals on the walls throughout the complex telling the story of the former middle school from local residents’ perspectives, he said. McMenamins staffers are in the process of researching the former school’s history, and 16 artists from the Bothell area have been hired to help create 300 to 400 pieces of artwork.

鈥淲e’re going to tie it in from an artistic standpoint; that’s the beauty of it,鈥� Mike McMenamin said. 鈥淭here are thousands and thousands of people that went (to Anderson School). It’s great.鈥�

This community involvement is what keeps design for McMenamins interesting, Espinosa said.

鈥淚t’s incredibly engaging with the community,鈥� he said. 鈥淭o me, that is the whole purpose of McMenamins. (Each place) has its own feel to it because they are all about that, all about the community.鈥�

The Anderson School McMenamins is scheduled to open in December 2015.

McMenamins Anderson School

Location: Bothell, Wash.

Cost: $23 million

Construction start date: November 2014

Anticipated construction completion date: December 2015

Owner: Anderson School Properties LLC

Developer: McMenamins

Architect: Ankrom Moisan Architects

Engineer: Froelich Engineers

General contractors: Andersen Construction and Pacific Crest Construction