Rainier’s old schoolhouse gets new life

When sisters Bonnie Houston and Sandra Sprouffske attended elementary school during the 1950s, the town of Rainier was tiny — just a few hundred people.

The sisters said they knew just about everybody who attended school, from first grade through high school.

“It was so much fun, everyone knew each other,” Houston said. “That’s the way small towns were.”

In the years since, Rainier has grown up a little. School is held in three separate schools — an elementary, middle and high school — instead of the two small schools used in Houston and Sprouffske’s day.

But one thing has stayed the stayed: The nearly 102-year-old Rainier historic schoolhouse. With a major renovation by the Rainier School District, it’s back in use.

The schoolhouse, at 207 Centre St., will now be home to the Rainier School District office, a Thurston County Sheriff’s field office, Rainier High School Alternative Program and the Rainier Historical Museum. The building is now owned by the school district, but was owned by the Rainier Historical Society until 2015.

The nearly $1 million renovation was largely paid for with timber revenue, said Tim Garchow, who was superintendent of the school district when the project began.

Current Superintendent Bryon Bahr said the idea to save the schoolhouse started with the Historical Society, and the project wouldn’t have been successful without its support. He described the school as a treasured place with great historic value.

“Many of you went to school here,” he said. “We have maintained a treasured place for all our citizens.”

The ribbon cutting at the schoolhouse wasn’t performed by one person. Members of the School Board, local elected officials, Sheriff’s Office representatives, Historical Society members and Rainier students lined up in front of the schoolhouse Saturday morning to cut a long, orange ribbon.

Outside, the schoolhouse looks fresh and new. Inside, it smells clean, and the walls are covered with new coats of paint. But the schoolhouse retains its character — the ceilings are high, and the floorboards creak underfoot.

Sprouffske said she’s happy they kept the old floors and that the old fourth grade classroom looks about the same as it used to. The classroom is at the front of the building, and the walls are hung with blackboards. The room will soon hold the museum.

“I am absolutely thrilled,” Sprouffske said. “It’s so nice to see our old building come to use.”

Historical Society President Karen Creamer, who also attended the school, said the efforts to save the old schoolhouse started in 1996, when Sally Myers was president. At the time, there was talk of tearing the building down.

She said she was a little disappointed at first that the Historical Society couldn’t save the building, but now she’s happy that it’s still standing and that the community can enjoy it.

“I love what they’ve done with it and the fact that it’s going to be here for a long time,” Creamer said.

This story was originally published January 7, 2017 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Rainier’s old schoolhouse gets new life."