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A massive $790 million capital bond measure approved by voters in 2017 is paying for a lot of improvements at facilities operated by Portland Public Schools. One construction project that began this past summer is the modernization and expansion of Madison High School, at 2735 N.E. 82nd Ave.

The 62-year-old school is being mostly demolished, save for a pair of two-story classroom wings. The remainder will be renovated into modern educational space (including Career Technical Education space), while a new 1,700-seat gymnasium, new commons and new performing arts center will be built by general contractor/construction manager Fortis Construction.

Opsis Architecture and DAO Architecture collaborated on the design.

In total, the renovated school will hold 292,000 square feet of usable space and be able to accommodate as many as 1,700 students. Over 170,000 square feet will be new construction.

Recently, crews from NorthStar, Finish Line Concrete Cutting and other subcontractors utilized an array of machinery to take down the reinforced concrete structures that comprised former gymnasium, auditorium and administrative spaces.

Project completion is scheduled for summer 2021, in time for the facility to be used for the 2021-22 school year.