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Milwaukie High School‘s main building, constructed in 1925, has received renovations or additions in nearly every decade since. That presented a challenge for the project team taking on a new, sizable expansion.

While some community members expressed desire to see elements of the building preserved, there just weren’t many original portions left.

鈥淎s you studied it you realize that the building had just changed over time,鈥� BRIC Architecture associate Matt Jacoby said. 鈥淭he original entry wasn’t there anymore. Windows had been replaced. Doors had been replaced. I mean, there wasn’t much (originality) left interior-wise.

鈥淲e found some crown molding that was hidden, and we found a few pieces that were parts here and there, but a lot of original stuff was gone over 80-plus years.鈥�

So, the North Clackamas School District decided to forge ahead with a simple plan: demolish the old building and replace it entirely with a new classroom and administrative wing. Jacoby and the design team then worked with the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office to salvage what they could.

鈥淲e came up with a list of salvaged items and made a list of ways to honor the old building,鈥� Jacoby said. 鈥淪o, we took old woodwork, trim and signs, and other elements 鈥� even some old timbers from members, old growth timber 鈥� those were salvaged and incorporated.鈥�

The old south entryway was largely salvaged for reuse in the new building. One of two giant cedar trees planted in 1926 in front of the school was kept. The other had to be removed.

鈥淥ne basically blocked the entry to the new school,鈥� Jacoby said. 鈥淪o, an artist in Salem is carving a 10-, 11-foot-tall mustang from the salvaged logs. It’s going to be on display in the new lobby of the new building, a one-of-a-kind piece.鈥�

Another chunk of tree will become a historic timeline for the school to display.

The initial budget was slightly more than $77 million. Work is being paid for with money from a bond approved by voters in 2016. Skanska USA Building is the general contractor for the project.

In addition to demolition of the old building and construction of a two-story wing, plans call for a remodel of the cafeteria, an upgrade of the emergency generator, upgrades of HVAC equipment, applications of new roofing and new paint, and聽construction of new parking.

Work on the project started last summer with demolition of the old building. To allow classes to continue without delay, 33 new modular classrooms were ordered and installed on the school’s football field. They will serve for only the next two years until the new building is delivered to the district in 2021.

鈥淚’ve been doing this a long time and this is probably the most complicated project of my career,鈥� said Steve Nicholas of CBRE, the owner’s representative.

Aside from the new U-shaped wing, new baseball fields and tennis courts are being constructed off of Lake Road at Rowe Middle School.

鈥淩ight now we have all the slab-on-grade in place except for a small area in the southeast corner,鈥� said Shaun Aubrey, Skanska USA Building project superintendent. 鈥淪o most of the slab-on-grade is done and we have big, large brace frame footings in the ground to help support the structure of the building. So, steel-wise we’re about two thirds of the way done right now.鈥�

The project schedule is designed around the school year, Aubrey noted. Work is largely restricted to the new building while classes are in session. But once school is out, workers plan to fan out across the campus to address smaller renovation projects in remaining campus buildings.