116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Preservationists get peek at how historic Harrison Elementary will be renovated
Cleaning the brick and maintaining many windows and doors part of the plan to save the structure in Cedar Rapids
May. 2, 2025 5:30 am, Updated: May. 2, 2025 8:11 am
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CEDAR RAPIDS — Local preservationists got a first peek this week at Harrison Elementary School as the Cedar Rapids school district embarks on a plan to save the historic structure while renovating it for modern learning.
Representatives from the Cedar Rapids Historic Preservation Commission and The History Center toured the building Wednesday ahead of construction — expected to begin this fall — to see how the historic architecture of the school will be preserved.
Rachel Potthoff, with the Historic Preservation Commission, said school leaders have “been listening to the public” in creating plans for Harrison Elementary, 1310 11th St. NW in Cedar Rapids, which opened in 1930.
“It’s a delicate balance they are trying to achieve. … I like that they are taking into consideration other historic elements, and seeing how best to exhibit them in the new plan,” Potthoff said. Potthoff said she appreciates that school officials are working to “preserve the historic envelope” of Harrison Elementary.
“It has stood for this long, so it does its job,” she said.
Caitlin Hartman, also with the Historic Preservation Commission, said she’s grateful for an opportunity to get a “first peek” at plans for the school. “Preservation is a team effort,” Hartman said.
One of the aspects of the project Hartman said she is most excited about is how many of the historic windows will be preserved.
“That’s one of the biggest defining features of a historic property is the big, grand windows or unique, small windows you just don’t see in modern construction. To know that’s going to be preserved is a big thing for us,” Hartman said.
The public will be invited to tour Harrison from 1-4 p.m. May 17
Here’s how Harrison be preserved and renovated
Much of the current exterior of Harrison Elementary will be maintained, while an addition is built on to provide space for kindergarten classrooms, a gym, a cafeteria, media center and administrative offices.
The existing brick and stone will be cleaned and repaired as necessary. The windows and doors will be replicated using modern materials. The colors and patterning will be maintained to preserve the aesthetic.
The shingle roof will be replaced with similar material.
At the north and south entry vestibules, the stone entry surround will be cleaned and remain. At the north entry, the interior doors with their historic “push” bars will be preserved and remain in place. The south entry interior doors also will be preserved in place.
At the old southwest exit from the gymnasium, the exit is not being maintained but the stone door surround is being preserved, and a bench will be installed.
At the southwest old entry area, the exit is not being maintained. However, the opening is being preserved with a new built-in display case that can hold smaller historic items such as a time capsule from a 60-years of dedication ceremony.
The interior windows from the first-floor and second-floor corridors into the gym are being preserved and relocated to the new second-floor gallery area.
Some of the existing arched exterior window openings on the west side of the building are being preserved. The windows and some portions of the wall are being removed, so these openings can be used as circulation between the existing building and the addition.
A portion of the existing building gymnasium will become a new gathering and circulation space in the heart of the school.
The renovations will significantly enhance the building’s sustainability. Adding a geothermal heating and cooling system and improved insulation will reduce the school’s environmental impact.
The renovations also will prioritize student and staff safety by including secure entryways and updated safety systems.
Preserving the mural
Harrison Elementary contains a mural, painted later in the 1930s, by William Henning, a contemporary of Grant Wood, known for his depictions of the rural Midwest. It is being preserved and relocated to a new second-floor gallery area once construction is complete.
The mural will be on display at the Educational Leadership and Support Center, 2500 Edgewood Rd. NW, Cedar Rapids, during construction at Harrison.
How did we get here?
The future of the English Tudor-style building was a question mark for several years. The school board initially voted to demolish the building, but that sparked opposition from the community and caused the board to reconsider.
The board revisited the plan last summer after a survey commissioned by the district showed the decision to close Harrison swayed some voters to oppose a multimillion school bond referendum that failed in November 2023.
Last fall, the board agreed to have the building renovated and to build an addition.
The school district will begin accepting bids for the project in August. The estimated cost including design fees, construction and other expenses is $43.9 million. The estimated cost for construction alone is $38.3 million.
The project will be funded by Secure An Advanced Vision for Education, or SAVE, a capital projects fund that can be used for construction and remodeling of buildings, among other things. It is funded by statewide sales taxes allocated to school districts based on their certified enrollment.
Harrison students to temporarily be relocated
Construction on Harrison Elementary is planned to begin in October and be completed in July 2027. During construction, students at Harrison Elementary will learn at neighboring Madison Elementary School.
Once that is completed, students at Madison Elementary will relocate to Harrison, and Madison will be removed from the district’s inventory. A decision on the future of the school has not yet been made.
Principal Trista Manternach will continue to serve as principal of both Harrison and Madison elementary schools — a role she currently holds.
Reducing the number of elementary schools in the district is expected to decrease operational costs and address uneven distribution of resources.
New elementary schools feature ‘neighborhoods’
The district adopted a plan to address its aging elementary school buildings in 2018. That facilities plan included building 10 elementary schools and renovating three over the next 15 to 20 years. The process included the closure and repurposing of eight schools.
Under the plan, the Cedar Rapids district constructed and opened West Willow Elementary School in August 2021, which replaced Coolidge Elementary. Maple Grove Elementary School was the second school to open under the plan, replacing Jackson Elementary in August 2022. In August 2024, Trailside Elementary School opened to students, replacing both Arthur and Garfield elementary schools.
Last year, the school board also approved a resolution to construct two elementary school buildings on the Hoover Elementary School and Van Buren Elementary School sites, funded by SAVE.
In these buildings, students learn in “pods” or “neighborhoods” to make the school feel more like a small community. Each pod has classrooms, lockers, bathrooms and a collaborative learning space.
Each new elementary school serves between 500 to 600 students. The district’s elementary schools now widely vary in size from 200 to 500 students, creating an inequitable distribution of resources.
Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com
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