The Van Asselt School, built in 1909 as a two-story, four-classroom wood-framed building is a testament to Seattle's rich history. Recognized as a City of Seattle historic landmark, the building's renovation, guided by the Secretary of Interior Standards for Rehabilitation, was a delicate balance of preserving the historic structure and meeting the needs of the present.

This small, abandoned Tudor-style schoolhouse was revived in its original form, while a standalone CLT (cross laminated timber) two-story classroom and gymnasium was added, serving as a swing site for the school district’s ongoing upgrades.

Bassetti provided seismic upgrades to stabilize the school. Since the interior of the building is also landmarked, one challenge facing the team was creating a strategy for seismic reinforcements to access floor-to-wall connections with minimum impact on the interior fabric. The team coordinated with the structural engineer to make upgrades in tandem with other work to keep impact as low as possible. Additionally, the team analyzed the detailing of the more impactful upgrades, such as shear walls, to incorporate an additional layer of plywood in an existing plaster wall. This creates a seamless connection that the eye experiences the wall as a continuous surface.

The revitalization of the Van Asselt School modernizes the facility for 21st-century education and preserves its rich historical legacy, ensuring the school continues to stand as a focal point in the community that will serve future students for generations to come.