For 100 years, the corner of Oxley Road and West First Avenue has been home to Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary School.
This May, after decades of classes and students passing through its halls, Stevenson will send off its final class for the summer before beginning its transformation process.
After it is rebuilt with the latest technology and educational standards for today's classrooms, the new Stevenson Elementary will continue to educate and care for the next generation of Grandview Heights students.
GHMC Historical Society, Perkins & Will
A look back
After the high school was built in 1923, a $175,000 levy was proposed the following year to build a new elementary school.
Grandview Heights Schools
When the levy failed in November 1924, a public relations campaign was led by school officials and community members to help educate the community regarding misconceptions about what the proposed funding would be used for. Within a year, the levy was put back on the ballot and passed in November 1925, making way for construction of the new school to start only months later, on January 7, 1926.
The levy delay led to some benefits as four additional classrooms were added to the floor plan, and the overall building costs decreased by roughly $8,000. Construction was completed within a few months, and Stevenson Elementary welcomed its first class for the 1926-27 school year.
Due to the growing population in the community, two additional wings were added to Stevenson within the first 10 years of opening. Eight classrooms in total were added, bringing the overall total to 20 classrooms.
“It was the second elementary for the community,” says Wayne Carlson, Grandview Heights Marble Cliff Historical Society member. “At that time, I think (Grandview Heights) only had, like, 4,000 people. (There were) a lot of young kids, though, because every year the school district said, ‘We need more room. We need more room,’ because there were so many kids.”
The building was updated again in 1971, when additional classrooms were added to accommodate a large incoming class of kindergarteners.
Time for a change
Although it was up to the standards of its time, Stevenson Elementary has slowly succumbed to its age over the years.
“The building is past its useful life and failing,” says Superintendent Andy Culp. “(It has) leaky roofs, the boiler system is hanging on by a thread. HVAC systems hanging on by a thread. It is in dire need of being replaced.”
Culp says the district is thankful to the community for passing a levy in 2024 to build a new Stevenson on the same grounds as the original one.
And the firm in charge of the project, Elford, won’t be working alone. Thanks to feedback from both Stevenson staff and community members throughout the design process, Culp says the new building will not only have the latest classroom and technology advancements, but it will also become a great space for the community.
“Those buildings are community spaces also outside of the school day, so everybody is going to benefit. I think the gym is, for example, one of the community spaces that will be a wonderful addition to our community in so many different ways,” Culp says. “I think, from a school district standpoint, to be able to design a new state-of-the-art building in ways that support how students learn as well as how teachers are teaching today and into the future is an awesome task, and will serve our students well today and into the future.”
Other advancements range from classroom updates – which will include more open concept rooms that have access to extended learning spaces – to technology and safety upgrades, including cameras and double doors at the main entrance, similar to Larson Middle and the high school.
The gym won’t be the only meeting space – there will be a new media center, as well as a cafeteria that will include a stage for performances and events.
Grandview Heights Marble Cliff Historical Society
Memory lives on
With a long history and decades of memories, Stevenson has left its mark on students, parents and staff over the years.
GHMC Historical Society
The Big Cheese
Carlson, who has been a resident of Grandview Heights since 1974, watched his kids grow up at Stevenson and remembers dropping them off at school, watching them play on the sculpture the kids call “The Big Cheese” as they waited for the school day to start.
Culp says the district is working to help keep those memories alive. The sculpture will be put into storage during construction and will get a new home once the building opens up.
As construction gets underway, students and teachers will settle into their modular classrooms, housed on the grounds of Larson Middle. While teachers like third-grade teacher Angela Pharion are preparing for the unique situation, many are keeping the kids and their education at the heart of it all.
“For me, it’s not about the surroundings. It’s about the relationships with the kids, and that’s always my focus,” Pharion says. “That’s really what’s important, and you can do that anywhere. So, next year, even in a modular unit… it doesn’t matter, because I still have my group of kids. I still do what I do and help them learn and grow.”
Rachel Hanz is the lead editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at rhanz@cityscenemediagroup.com.
