HistoryLink.org

This history of Irving School is taken from the second edition of Building for Learning: Seattle Public School Histories, which includes histories of every school building used by the district since its formation around 1862. The original essay was written for the 2002 first edition by Nile Thompson and Carolyn J. Marr, and updated for the 2024 edition by HistoryLink contributor Ryan Anthony Donaldson.

East Side School

East Side School was built by Ballard School District No. 50. After it was annexed into the Seattle School District, attendance swelled. The East Side Annex operated from 1908 to 1910 in four rooms in Ballard buildings rented from Henry Lewis. The Seattle School Board renamed East Side in honor of Washington Irving a few years after annexation. It was closed in 1915, and students were sent to nearby Central School, which was the renamed Washington Irving School. In fall 1918, the former East Side School reopened for adjustment classes as Ballard Special School and continued in use for special needs students until 1932, when it was closed.

History

East Side School
Location: Railroad Avenue (14th NW) & Holbrook Street (NW 52nd)
Building: 8-room wood
Architect: T.G. Bird
Site: 1.61 acres
1902: Opened by Ballard School District
1907: Annexed into Seattle School District
1910: Renamed Irving on July 7
1915: Closed in December
1918: Renamed Ballard Special School on November 7
1929: Renamed Robert Fulton Adjustment School
1932: Closed; used as a district storehouse
1937: Begins use as WPA offices
1948: Sold on August 18

Sources:

Rita E. Cipalla, Ryan Anthony Donaldson, Tom G. Heuser, Meaghan Kahlo, Melinda Lamantia, Casey McNerthney, Nick Rousso, Building For Learning: Seattle Public School Histories, 1862-2022 (Seattle: Seattle Public Schools, 2024); Nile Thompson, Carolyn Marr, Building for Learning, Building For Learning: Seattle Public School Histories, 1862-2000 (Seattle: Seattle Public Schools, 2000). 

Licensing: This essay is licensed under a Creative Commons license that encourages reproduction with attribution. Credit should be given to both HistoryLink.org and to the author, and sources must be included with any reproduction. Click the icon for more info. Please note that this Creative Commons license applies to text only, and not to images. For more information regarding individual photos or images, please contact the source noted in the image credit.

Major Support for HistoryLink.org Provided By: The State of Washington | Patsy Bullitt Collins | Paul G. Allen Family Foundation | Museum Of History & Industry | 4Culture (King County Lodging Tax Revenue) | City of Seattle | City of Bellevue | City of Tacoma | King County | The Peach Foundation | Microsoft Corporation, Other Public and Private Sponsors and Visitors Like You