Students at Lowell Elementary School will walk into a brand-new, 50,000-square-foot building Wednesday, Sept. 9, replacing a 1949 campus their principal called "on its last legs."

The $35.6 million demolition and ground-up rebuild in Tacoma's North End is the latest chapter for a school that predates the city itself. Lowell has been educating students since 1869, six years before Tacoma incorporated.

The old building had no elevator, no windows, one bathroom for roughly 500 students and classes split across two structures. Principal Josh Benedict said the conditions made safety and access difficult for students.

The school closed in 2024, and students moved temporarily to the old Skyline Elementary in West Tacoma while contractor Korsmo Construction demolished the old campus and built the replacement. Tacoma architecture firm BCRA designed the new school, which can house up to 550 K-5 students, The News Tribune reported.

The project is funded by the $535 million school construction bond Tacoma voters approved in 2020. Lowell is one of eight school replacements or historic renovations funded by that bond.

Students, parents, staff and community members helped shape the new layout. Classrooms for younger students sit closer to bathrooms, the cafeteria and the gym. Tacoma Public Schools Assistant Director of Communications Kathryn McCarthy said the design streamlines daily operations so teachers can focus on instruction.

Almost everything inside is new, but the school kept key artifacts from its 157-year history. The original bell from the school's first iteration as "First Ward School" sits outside the front doors. Old wooden benches with "Lowell Elementary" painted in cursive are displayed in the front office and library. Benedict keeps old bricks from an earlier building in his office.

Outside, a bronze statue depicts two children holding hands mid-run. Titled "We Honor a Hero," the sculpture by Tacoma artist Larry Anderson was dedicated Sept. 11, 2003. It honors Marvin Klegman, an 11-year-old Lowell crossing guard who died April 13, 1949, during a 7.1-magnitude earthquake while shielding then-kindergartner Kelcy Allen from falling bricks, according to HistoryLink.

Allen survived. He recently visited the new campus to speak to students about how Klegman saved his life and plans to attend the Sept. 9 grand opening. Benedict said Allen stopped by days before the opening and made hats for every staff member.

"I have used every bit of my time. I figured I better not waste it, because some little boy gave up his existence for me," Allen told The News Tribune in 2015.

Students return to 810 Mr. Dahl Dr. on Wednesday.