Seattle's Seward Elementary School (now TOPS at Seward) opens as Denny-Fuhrman School in 1893.

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In 1893, the Denny-Fuhrman School opens in Seattle's (present-day) Eastlake neighborhood. In 1905, with a second building designed by James Stephen, the school is renamed the Seward School after William Seward (1801-1872), the U.S. Secretary of State who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia. In 1917, a third building is designed by Edgar Blair. The historic buildings were renovated in 1997-1998 and reopened in September 1999. They are a designated Seattle Landmark. The school located at 2500 Franklin Avenue E is now (2001) a K-8 school called the Options Program at Seward (or Tops at Seward).

In the 1890s, the Seward School neighborhood was heavily wooded. In 1903, Franklin Avenue, bordering the west edge of the site, was a bicycle path. A wagon road ran through the present school grounds and a trolley from downtown Seattle ended at Louisa Street.

The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition held on the University of Washington campus in 1909, with thousands of people flocking to it, caused the Eastlake neighborhood to develop. Eastlake Avenue was graded and the carlines were extended north. By 1914, more than 400 pupils attended Seward Elementary School. In 1917, the third building, made of brick, was added.

In 1932, enrollment was about 580, and Seward became a demonstration school. District teachers attended half-day sessions to observe the latest teaching methods and materials. In 1950, the schools boundaries were changed when the nearby Cascade School was destroyed in an earthquake.

In the 1960s, the construction of Interstate-5 directly east of the Seward School bisected the neighborhood and contributed to declining enrollments.

The historic buildings were renovated in 1997-1998 and reopened in September 1999. It is now (2001) a K-8 school called the Options Program at Seward (or Tops at Seward).

Sources:
Patricia C. Erigero, Seattle Public Schools: Historic Building Survey (Seattle: Seattle Public Schools and Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority, 1989), 171-178; "Tops Mission Statement," (http://www.seattleschools.org/schools/tops).

By Priscilla Long, April 27, 2001

This file made possible by:
The SCHOONER Project:
The Hon. Jan Drago
Seattle City Council
Seattle Department of Neighborhoods

Seward School and Rogers Playground, Eastlake neighborhod, 1910
Courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives (Neg. 20645)

Seward Elementary School, 1913
Courtesy Paul Dorpat