Schools

Jefferson-Houston School Construction Progressing

Final piece of steel framing placed on Friday afternoon.

The final piece of steel framing was put in place at the new Jefferson-Houston School at the corner of Cameron and West streets in Old Town Alexandria on Friday afternoon.

“We’re on track and on budget,” said Mark Eisenhour, principal on assignment with the school district. “We’re on track to have it completed in mid-August and ready to open on schedule for the 2014-15 school year.”

The final piece of steel was placed above the rafters of the new building's gymnasium. Window installation has begun on segments of the building and interior framing materials have arrived, allowing crews to begin creating individual classrooms and offices.

Find out what's happening in Old Town Alexandriawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In December 2012, Alexandria City Council approved a $44-million proposal to rebuild Jefferson-Houston School.

The current school is being replaced by a 130,000-square-foot L-shaped building framing a new turf athletic field. The majority of the school will not exceed 48 feet in height, with the exceptions of a stair tower and an observatory.

Find out what's happening in Old Town Alexandriawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The field will be constructed along Cameron Street at the site of the existing school. The school’s gym, field, play areas and a white-box theater will be available for community use to varying degrees.

Neighborhoods including Old Town, Del Ray and the new Potomac Yard are in the Jefferson-Houston school district.

The next quarterly community meeting to discuss the project will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 3 in the Jefferson-Houston multipurpose room.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here