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HISTORIC MODERNIZATION, SANTA ROSA HIGH SCHOOL

Santa Rosa, CA | Complete

This project is part of an ensemble of buildings designed in the early 1920's that includes Santa Rosa High School and the adjacent Santa Rosa Junior College. Stripped of its historic character by successive renovations, this project restored the historic fabric of the buildings while updating the school functionally and technologically for contemporary teaching needs.

As well as replacing worn finishes and aging infrastructure, this modernization updated the school functionality for contemporary teaching needs, adding data and information technology infrastructure for the first time in a substantial way, and reorganizing the teaching environment to add more collaborative teacher work and preparation areas. Restoration involved consulting historic photographs, sampling at the bottom of innumerable layers of paint, and using original plans in order to preserve original colors and finishes. Working with the local Cultural Heritage Board, a new addition was added to the back of the one thousand-seat auditorium to open side stage areas and create adequate and accessible set storage and dressing rooms.

The renovation and rehabilitation work restored the buildings' original finishes and detailing throughout. Coffered ceilings, carefully detailed woodwork, and new display cases now grace the main entry to the school and showcase the history and heritage of Santa Rosa's oldest high school.