Four of Eugene School District 4J’s oldest, most inefficient school buildings have been replaced, thanks to voters’ approval of the 2013 school bond measure.
Roosevelt Middle School was one of the first two schools to be replaced. The new Roosevelt Middle School and Howard Elementary School opened in fall 2016. The new Arts & Technology Academy and River Road/El Camino del Río Elementary School opened in fall 2017.
Photo Tour:
Eugene’s stunning, sustainable new school building
Design and Construction
The old Roosevelt Middle School, which opened in 1950 to replace the original 1924–1925 facility, was in poor condition. The new school provides better learning environments for students and costs less to operate.
Mahlum Architects of Portland in association with Robertson Sherwood Architects of Eugene designed the stunning new school building, working with a stakeholder design committee. Public meetings were held during the design process to provide opportunities for community engagement. The resulting two-story, light-filled building design incorporates input from students, parents, staff, neighbors and other community members.
Local company John Hyland Construction began construction of the new Roosevelt Middle School in spring 2015 and the structural core of the building started taking shape over the summer. By the start of the school year in fall 2015, passersby were able to see the size and shape of the building. Construction progressed rapidly over the course of the 2015–16 school year. The new building was complete by the end of the school year in June and the old building was demolished over the summer.
Students returned to school in fall 2016 in their state-of-the-art new school building. The new school features a central open-air courtyard, inside commons and classroom clusters. Science labs, a library/media center, two gyms and a theatre area complement the classroom clusters and encourage students to explore new interests.
The Eugene Family YMCA has an option to purchase a portion of the property where the old school stood to construct new recreation facilities.
Project Details
- Architect team: Mahlum Architects (Portland) in association with Robertson Sherwood Architects (Eugene)
- General contractor: John Hyland Construction
- Capacity: 650 students
- Building history: The new building is the third in the school’s history. The original Roosevelt Junior High opened in 1924 at 1787 Agate. The second building opened in 1950 at 680 E. 24th Ave. The new building opened in fall 2016.
- Address change: The new school building is located further west on the school property and has a new street address, 500 E. 24th Ave.
About the School Bond Measure
In May 2013, voters in Eugene School District 4J resoundingly passed a $170 million school bond measure to provide funding for 4J school improvements, including replacing four of the district’s oldest school buildings with new buildings at the same sites, making major building improvements at Gilham Elementary School, and installing a new track and field at Kelly Middle School.
The bond measure also is paying for improvements at every 4J school, including new student technology, updated instructional materials, security upgrades, building improvements, and more.
Learn More
• Roosevelt project website
• Roosevelt Middle School website
• RMS legacy project
• 4J–YMCA agreement
• Bond measure news
• Bond measure overview
Virtual View:
Soar through the new school design in this video rendering
Roosevelt Middle School Architectural Design Fly-Through provided by Mahlum Architects Inc.
A bird’s-eye perspective:
Aerial video of new Roosevelt school construction (late summer 2015)
Construction Complete!
Digital window onto the Roosevelt construction site
A webcam provided live updates throughout the construction process. Below is the final image of the completed school before the webcam was taken down.
