The exterior of the new addition to Woodrow Wilson High School will look something like this (image courtesy of BRW Architects).
This January, Dallas ISD will break ground on new additions to Woodrow Wilson High School and J.L. Long Middle School in East Dallas as part of the $1.6 billion 2015 bond package.
Woodrow’s construction will cost over $20 million, and will add nearly 50,000 square feet in classroom and gym space. Part of the existing building will be demolished, and a three story addition will be added to the east end of the property. None of the historical protected portion of the school will be removed. Currently, the school measures 200,700 square feet and when it construction ends in June of 2019, the school will be 248,053 square feet, according to Dallas ISD’s Executive Director of Construction Services Tim Strucely.
The interior of the performance gymnasium to be built at Woodrow (image courtesy of BRW Architects).
The addition, designed by BRW Architects, will include a dozen classrooms, new locker rooms and a weight room, but the featured addition will be a new performance gym. The gymnasium’s retractable bleachers will allow varsity basketball teams to host home games at the historic high. The current gyms on campus do not meet the size standards for varsity basketball games. The new gym will also double as a storm shelter for both Woodrow and Long students.
The added rooms include normal classrooms, engineering and science labs, art and ceramics studios as well as a new band and orchestra suite. The space will also provide more room for Woodrow’s growing robotics program.
Improvements will be made on Woodrow’s historic theater, with the addition of a removable orchestra pit, new lighting and sound systems and a refurbishing of the antique wood seating.
The addition will be the second in seven years for the growing high school. A $14 million dollar, three story addition broke ground in 2011, adding three stories of science, fine arts and general classrooms to the school.
Woodrow’s construction caused a parking conflict at Randall Park, but the Woodrow community, Dallas ISD and city officials have yet to make much progress on how to resolve the issues.
The addition to J.L. Long (image courtesy of RPGA Design Group).
At J.L. Long, there will be a two story addition on the campus’ south end. It will include 22 classrooms and a new band and orchestra suite, 10 portable buildings will be removed and the cafeteria will be expanded along with other small improvements. The project, from RPGA Design Group, should be done by February 2019 and will cost just over $10 million.
Currently, J.L. Long is 142,000 square feet and the new wing will add 35,406 square feet.
