Woodworking school expansion moving forward

The big project to expand the Seattle Central Community College woodworking school at 23rd & Lane has received all of its land-use approvals and is now set to begin construction. Last month the old wooden buildings on the property were torn down, clearing the way to add 57,000 square feet of new administrative and instructional space to the campus.

The project is fully funded by the state and is now out for construction bids, which are expected back in early February, allowing a construction start date of late March or early April.

One thing that is still up in the air is the fate of the large mural on the southernmost building on the campus. That building is destined to be replaced by a parking lot in the new layout, and a school administrator tells me that the only way for it to be saved is if someone was interested enough to cut out the heavy concrete walls and move them away to a new location. We're tracking down the state official who will have the final decision on that, and will update you in a new story once we make contact there.

Refer to our story from last march for a full set of architectural renderings of the new buildings.