John R. Rogers High School was built in the early 1930s, at a time when money was scarce and the PWA/WPA was not yet in high gear, meaning that the city, desperately in need of a new high school at the time, had to somehow conjure the required $500,000. This it did by issuing a bond, a somewhat risky venture at the time. The contract for the planning and design of the new school was issued to local architects John K. Dow and William A. Wells, their only collaborative effort, on April 10, 1930, the building being constructed by J. J. Lohrenz. Designed to initially house 800 students, expansion possibilities would enable it to accommodate 1,000. Given the unemployment situation at the time, it was stipulated in the contract that all labour and materials be sourced locally.
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A mere nine months after the start of construction the school was complete, with dedication taking place on March 1, 1932. Named after
John Rankin Rogers, the third governor of the State of Washington, the school is a bit of a screen star as it has been the site of the shooting of two movies,
Vision Quest in 1984, and
Hangman's Curse in 2002.
Given the striking visual appeal of such a large Art Deco building, among other things, the building was entered in the National Register of Historic Places on January 7, 2011. One of those "other things" was the fact that the school had undergone a two year restoration and addition which was completed in 2009. During the restoration non sympathetic additions to the building were removed, returning it to essentially its original appearance.
John R. Rogers High School
John R. Rogers High School is an outstanding example of the Art Deco style as applied to public structures. Although the interior has been significantly renovated, the exterior of the original building retains largely the same appearance as when it was first constructed in 1932. All the projecting distractions of previous years have been removed, leaving behind the impressive edifice of the main building as it was originally designed.
From Historic Spokane