Arts & Technology Academy’s new building opens this fall
Goodbye old school, hello new: Please join in a celebration and fond farewell to the former Jefferson Middle School building.
Jefferson Farewell Celebration
Arts & Technology Academy / former Jefferson Middle School building
1650 W. 22nd Ave., Eugene
Friday, June 9, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Arts & Technology Academy will soon move next door into a new high-quality modern school building that is under construction now, thanks to voters who approved the 2013 school bond measure.
This summer, construction crews will remove all but a corner of the old school building that housed Jefferson Middle School for 50 years, from 1957–2007, and then Arts & Technology Academy for the past decade. In the course of its history the Jefferson building also was home to the Magnet Arts and Family School alternative programs.
To honor the old building and the memories its halls contain, Arts & Technology Academy is inviting current and past ATA, Jefferson, Magnet Arts and Family School students, families, staff and neighbors to say goodbye to their old schoolhouse before it’s gone. The whole community is invited to come together for a farewell celebration on June 9.
Please join us for a fun evening of celebration and remembrance, honoring the past 60 years in the current school building and launching new traditions for the future. The new building will have a grand opening in the fall.
Please join the celebration!
Share memories • Snap selfies • See friends and teachers
Join in a high-energy bingo night • Win prizes • Grab a bite
Walk through the old building one last time!
Questions? Please call 541-790-5700.
About the existing school building
Now Arts & Technology Academy, the school building at 1650 W. 22nd Ave. was constructed in 1957 and originally housed Jefferson Junior High, later Jefferson Middle School. Later it also housed the Magnet Arts alternative elementary school program. After Jefferson Middle School and Magnet Arts closed, in 2007 the STEM-focused Arts & Technology Academy opened in the building. Alternative program Family School moved in and was co-located in the building starting in 2009; its elementary grades moved to a different site in 2015.
About the new school building
Rowell Brokaw Architects and Opsis Architecture designed the new building, in consultation with a design advisory committee and with input from students, parents, staff, neighbors and community members. The design and layout of the new building will support Arts & Technology Academy’s exciting and innovative instructional program that integrates science, technology, engineering, math and the arts. With a large project room and interactive classroom located at the core of the school, the building is designed to encourage group and project-based learning.
Local company John Hyland Construction has undertaken the construction project. The reconstruction will replace ATA’s existing building with primarily new construction while retaining some renovated portions of the old building’s gymnasiums. The rebuilt school will provide better learning environments for students and will cost less to operate.
Construction began in spring 2016 and is well underway. The new building is slated to open in fall 2017.
More about the new school building
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. The bond measure also is paying for improvements at every 4J school, including new student technology, updated instructional materials, security upgrades, building repairs, and more.
The new Howard Elementary School and Roosevelt Middle School opened in fall 2016. The new River Road/El Camino del Río Elementary School and Arts & Technology Academy (at the site of the former Jefferson Middle School building) are under construction now and will open in fall 2017. Sustainable building concepts that conserve energy and maximize the wise use of resources are incorporated into every new school building.
