A new life for Fisher Building

School House Lofts property manager Eric Pettit noted one of the unique features of the new student-housing project opening this fall across Fifth Street from Eastern Washington University’s Showalter Hall is the style of each apartment unit.

“Not a single one is alike,” Pettit said.

Indeed, while each studio, three- and four-bedroom units share similar floor plans, each unit incorporates into its own way aspects of what the building used to be — the Cheney School District’s original high school, known as the Fisher Building.

Named after long-time Cheney educator, principal and mayor George Fisher, the building entered into service in 1930. It eventually was used as the district’s junior high school and in its final days, administration and some alternative programs building before being declared surplus and put up for sale in 2013.

Three developers took shots at trying to make use of the former educational facility before Eastmark Capital Group purchased the 57,128-square-foot structure in December 2016 for $750,000. Prior to finalizing the sale, Eastmark went through the process to have the building placed on the Cheney Historic Registry, thus enabling it to be also placed on the state’s Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation and the National Parks Service registry — which allowed Eastmark to take advantage of tax breaks for preserving and repurposing historical structures.

Work on turning the Fisher Building into the School House Lofts began soon after the sale papers were signed, and culminated with tours last Thursday, Sept. 8.

Maintaining eligibility for those tax credits for historic preservation meant School House Loft architect Lori Noto and construction officials with general contractor Yost Gallagher Construction had to retain as much as possible of the original work, while also making sure newer materials reflected the specific historical era of the original building.

Pettit said this was done as much as possible. Half of the former gymnasium was filled in with apartment units on the second and third floors, while the lower gym-level became home to storage and laundry facilities — the latter featuring modern, coin-less operated machines that students can monitor through a phone application.

The lower floor also contains the building’s management offices, and an elevator inside of a new entrance on College Avenue has been installed. The building now has a central heating and air conditioning system.

But the former gym floor wasn’t thrown away. Pettit said parts of the floor were used to repair portions of hallways around the building, and some portions were used to make tables for student use in common areas, such as the north portion of the gym which was maintained — complete with basketball hoop — enhanced and outfitted with ping pong tables and two sections of the gyms former floor-level bleachers.

All of the apartments, which begin renting at $498 a month, are modern-looking, fully furnished and complete with bathroom and kitchen facilities. In the case of the four-bedroom units, there are two bathrooms.

Most of the apartment units contain some features of the former building, mainly through the original hardwood floors. In cases where those floors couldn’t stay, carpeting is put in.

The units have a modern look to them, which is augmented by those retained features, and all of them through various design techniques incorporate a fair amount of natural lighting. Several of the units toured have not only original flooring, but original ductwork, beams and supports that are visible.

“I was surprised that they kept as many of the interior features of the building,” Cheney Historical Museum director Joan Mamanakis said in an email. “I love the creaky gym and balcony floors.”

Also kept were the original lockers on the second and third floors, although they are more for displaying the building’s former purpose than for use. Pettit said the original idea to weld the lockers permanently shut was discarded because the welding would damage the paint.

Instead, each one is padlocked.

As for the other well-known feature of the Fisher Building, the third-floor auditorium, it too was retained as much as possible, with the stage and about 75 seats kept along with a refurbished floor and lighting. It will now serve as a theatre for Loft residents.

Many of those touring the building were former students and teachers, and often had favorable comments of the work. One woman, upon coming down the stairs to the gym from the north entry way pointed to one door and said “Health” and to another door and said “Home Ec.”

Perhaps the most notable of tour attendees was an original critic of the district’s desire to sell and repurpose the building who had a vested interested in its future — Ann Fisher Heehn. In a Sept. 11 interview, Heehn, whose father the building was originally named after and “practically grew up in the place,” was complimentary of the work done by Eastmark and Yost Gallagher, particularly in sprucing up the exterior of the building.

“It’s much more attractive than what the school district had,” she said.

Heehn was pleased with the amount of preservation work that was done, but expressed concern the building is set up somewhat like a dorm. She said a lot of money was put into the renovation work, work and a history she hopes students appreciate.

“It looks great now,” Heehn said. “I’m pleased with what they did, and I hope it’s well maintained.”

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.