Nearly century-old Edmonton school set to be demolished, replaced with new building

Emily Williams · CBC News

· Posted: May 15, 2025 1:40 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

A schoolhouse that has served thousands of students successful north-central Edmonton for astir a period is acceptable to look the wrecking ball. 

Edmonton Public Schools told assemblage members Wednesday nighttime that the 1928 Spruce Avenue School at 114th Avenue and 102nd Street will beryllium demolished to physique a caller school. 

The task volition beryllium led and afloat funded by Alberta Infrastructure arsenic portion of its schoolhouse accelerator plan. But the news is disappointing for some who would person preferred to spot a modernization of the existing historical structure.

Nadine Riopel's lad is starting Grade 7 astatine the inferior precocious adjacent twelvemonth and volition beryllium bittersweet to spot it go.

"He's lived crossed the thoroughfare from this gathering since helium was six months old. So I deliberation he's going to beryllium existent bummed retired astir it."

Reba Baskerville, who went to the inferior precocious successful 1975, said the gathering is worthy redeeming and its demise is an each excessively communal communicative successful Edmonton.

"Everything is knock down, rebuild, Baskerville said. "And by the clip my great-grandkids are around, determination volition beryllium thing to accidental "oh that was astir erstwhile I was young.'"

It's wherever she met her champion friend Karen Winder.

"It's a large school. I don't recognize wherefore they would adjacent beryllium considering it. They've fixed a batch of the schools of this era. Why not hole this one?" Winder said.

Kim Holotawuk, supervisor successful infrastructure readying astatine Edmonton Public Schools said it's retired of their hands.

"Unlike erstwhile governments, this authorities has taken implicit the absorption of each schoolhouse projects whereby successful the past schoolhouse divisions were capable to negociate their own," Holotawuk said.

In December, the part was told that Spruce Avenue School had moved to the plan signifier arsenic a afloat replacement schoolhouse and that an designer had been contracted.

It's a fast-moving project, expected to commencement adjacent March and be completed by January 2028, she said.

The determination to opt for a replacement alternatively of modernizing the existing gathering was based connected a feasibility survey done successful the pre-planning phase.

"To pivot distant from a afloat replacement could enactment the full task astatine hazard arsenic the state is committed to acceleration of caller schoolhouse gathering projects.

"We bash not privation to suffer retired connected an accidental to amended the learning experiences of each of our students," Holotawuk said.

The existing gathering has a capableness for 450 students but isn't presently full.

The caller schoolhouse volition person spaces for 605 students. Holotawuk said it volition besides connection much flexible learning spaces for a diverseness of learning needs — thing that could not beryllium accomplished successful the aged building.

Chris Wright, managing manager of infrastructure with the division, said it's an breathtaking time.

"We request schoolhouse space, we request modernized buildings successful this portion of town, breathing beingness into immoderate communities each implicit the place. And truthful if it tin beryllium done quickly, that's going to beryllium large for our kids successful this community."

CBC News is awaiting remark from the provincial government.