Community Corner
Edmonds Elementary Becomes Frances Anderson Center
The Edmonds Elementary School, which opened in 1928 to more than 200 students, became the Frances Anderson Cultural and Leisure Center 50 years later.
The Frances Anderson Cultural and Leisure Center is a landmark in downtown Edmonds. While over the years numerous structural additions have changed the face of the Center, at its heart lies a building of major historical significance: Edmonds Elementary School.
The school dates back to the roaring '20s, which brought unprecedented growth to Edmonds. Business was booming, the local population was mushrooming, and the town was racing to keep pace with the increasing need for facilities and services. Schools topped the list. (See Patch article ".")
To accommodate this, the new Edmonds Elementary School opened in 1928 at 700 Main Street, with more than 200 students attending school in grades one through six.
Find out what's happening in Edmondswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Edmonds Elementary building is a fine example of the then-current Spanish Mission Revival style, characterized by light stucco finishes, multi-pane windows and broad round arches. The building was expanded with additions in 1948, 1952 and 1961. The ensuing years have seen several more additions and expansions to expand the Center’s offerings to the community, but a walk inside shows that the original structure remains intact.
Shifting population patterns after World War II saw more families moving to outlying areas. Growth in the suburbs required new schools, and the number of students in the immediate downtown vicinity dwindled. In 1972, Edmonds Elementary closed its doors.
Find out what's happening in Edmondswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The City of Edmonds reopened the building in 1978 as the Frances Anderson Cultural and Leisure Center, named in honor of the remarkable woman who touched the lives of generations of Edmonds residents as an educator and community leader.
A member of the first graduating class of Edmonds High School in 1911, Frances Anderson went on to earn an education degree at the University of Washington. She returned to Edmonds to teach, and in 1924 was appointed principal of Edmonds Elementary, a post she held for 25 years.
Anderson then returned to classroom teaching for an additional 10 years before retiring in 1959. She was active on numerous boards, service clubs, and civic organizations. A varsity athlete at the UW, she played and tirelessly promoted womens and mens sports in Edmonds. She died in 1990, two months before the City of Edmonds celebrated its 100th anniversary.
This month the City of Edmonds formally adds the Edmonds Elementary School to the Edmonds Register of Historic Places. For more information on this building, the history of Edmonds schools, and life of Frances Anderson, see the February 2011 Preservationist, the newsletter of the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission.