Broadway High School, originally known as Seattle High School, opened in Seattle, Washington in 1902. It was the first dedicated high school built in Seattle. After World War II, the school was converted to a vocational training center for returning soldiers, and the high school students were transferred to Lincoln High School and Edison Technical School which shared a campus with Broadway High. The campus became part of Seattle Community College in 1966, now Seattle Central College. Much of the former school's main building was demolished in the 1970s. A portion was rebuilt as Seattle Central College's Broadway Performance Hall. A video history of the school has been released.

History

Broadway High School at E Broadway and E Pine St, Seattle (CURTIS 1639)

Broadway High School opened as Seattle High School in 1902 in what is now Seattle's

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...

neighborhood at East Broadway and East Pine Street. Although high school students had been served previously at Seattle's Territorial University and as part of the multi-level Central Schools I and II, Seattle High School was the first dedicated high school built in Seattle. The architects were

William E. Boone William Boone (3 September 1830, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania – 29 October 1921, in Seattle, Washington) was an American architect who practiced mainly in Seattle, Washington from 1882 until 1905. He was one of the founders of the Washington ...

and J. M. Corner of the firm Boone and Corner. It was one of Boone's last commissions. The school was renamed to Washington High School in 1906, and then Broadway High School in 1908. Enrollment increased over the years, with the student body reaching 2,368 by the 1936–37 school year. During the school's existence, both its school paper "Whims" and its yearbook "Sealth" won multiple national awards. Broadway High School had the largest number of

Japanese American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...

students of any high school in the city, with Japanese American students comprising about 25 percent of the student body in 1942. The removal of all of these students as part of the

Japanese American Internment Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

during World War II had a major impact on the school, and by 1944-45 only 1,216 students were enrolled at Broadway. Broadway High School's last graduating class was in 1946, after which the building re-opened as Edison Technical College which served the troops returning home from WWII (and in 1966 became Seattle Central College). In 1974, the majority of the original building, which was in need of significant repairs, was torn down. Through the efforts of the BHS Alumni Association, one part of the building was preserved and is the current site of the Broadway Performance Hall. Even though the school was closed, the Alumni Foundation & Association remained active, holding annual reunions and providing significant scholarships to SCC students. During the rebuild, alumni rescued a few bags of artifacts found in storage and launched the Broadway High School Archives. Over the years, they amassed a significant collection of artifacts and ephemera including trophies, dance cards, uniforms, letter sweaters, photos and more. In 2014, the Alumni Association disbanded due to aging membership. The Broadway High School Archives has been preserved by graduate students from University of Washington iSchool and Seattle Central College library as a resource for students, educators, alumni families and genealogists.

Notable alumni

Alice Ball Alice Augusta Ball (July 25, 1882 – December 31, 1916) was an American chemist who developed the "Ball Method", the most effective treatment for leprosy during the early 20th century. She was the first woman and first African American to rece ...

- chemist who developed the most effective treatment for leprosy during the early 20th century. * Kenneth Callahan - painter and muralist * Leo Calland - athlete, coach, and San Diego city parks administrator *

Andrew Chinn Andrew Chinn (1915–1996) was a Chinese-American artist and art educator, active in the Pacific Northwest from the early 1930s through the 1990s. He is known for his distinctive style of watercolor painting and printmaking, and is associated wi ...

- artist and art educatorTsutakawa, Mayumi. ''They Painted Their Hearts: Pioneer Asian American Artists'', p.27; Wing Luke Asian Museum, Seattle, 1994; *

Fay Chong Fay Chong (1912–1973) was a Chinese-American artist and educator, well known for his printmaking and watercolor painting. He was also known for his activities as an arts organizer, arts educator and WPA-era artist. Chong was active in the Pacif ...

- artist and educator *

J. Ira Courtney John Ira Courtney (April 27, 1889 – April 15, 1968) was an American sprinter, who competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in the 100 m, 200 m and 4 × 100 m relay events. In 1909–1914, he won several championships as a sprinter and hurdler, and l ...

- sprinter who competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics *

Ky Ebright Carroll M. "Ky" Ebright (March 20, 1894 – November 25, 1979) was a revered coach for the University of California, Berkeley crew. Early life and education Ebright was an only child, born in Chicago, Illinois, to Frank Randall Ebright (1862–1 ...

- coach for the University of California, Berkeley crew * John Sharpe Griffith - World War I flying ace *

Donald E. Hillman Donald Edison Hillman (August 24, 1918 – March 16, 2012) was an American World War II flying ace and prisoner of war credited with five enemy aircraft destroyed. He was also the first American pilot, in 1952, to make a deep-penetration overflight ...

- World War II flying ace * William Ivey - abstract expressionist painterOral history interview with William Ivey, by Barbara Johns, 1983 May 24–31, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. *

Leo Kenney Leo Kenney (1925–2001) was an American abstract painter, described by critics as a leading figure in the second generation of the 'Northwest School (art), Northwest School' of artists. Youth Kenney was born in Spokane, Washington (state), Wash ...

– abstract painter *

Ten Million Ten Million (October 14, 1889 – June 18, 1964) was a minor league baseball player who played for various teams in the Northwestern League in the years prior to World War I. He is best known for his unusual name. Baseball career The Cleveland ...

- baseball player *

William W. Momyer William Wallace Momyer (September 23, 1916 – August 10, 2012) was a general officer and fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. Among his notable posts were those commanding the Air Training Command, the Seventh Air Force during the Viet ...

- general and commander of the U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Command * Elmer Nordstrom – businessman, co-president of Nordstrom department store *

Ruth Rappaport Ruth Rappaport (May 27, 1923 – November 17, 2010) was a Jewish-American librarian.Digital.lib.washington.edu Her mother's cousin was Helena Rubinstein. Rappaport was born in Leipzig, in Saxony to Mendel and Chaja Rappaport. She had two older ha ...

- librarian * John Monk Saunders - novelist, screenwriter, and film director *

Monica Sone Monica Sone (September 1, 1919 – September 5, 2011), born Kazuko Itoi, was a Japanese American writer, best known for her 1953 autobiographical memoir ''Nisei Daughter'', which tells of the Japanese American experience in Seattle during the 1920 ...

- author *

Janet Thurlow Janet Lorraine Thurlow (May 21, 1926 – October 4, 2022) was an American Vocal jazz, jazz singer. Biography Early life Thurlow was born on May 21, 1926, in Seattle – the first of five children. She took violin, piano, and singing lessons a ...

– jazz singer *

George Tsutakawa George Tsutakawa (February 22, 1910 – December 18, 1997) was an American painter and sculptor best known for his avant-garde bronze fountain designs. Born in Seattle, Washington, he was raised in both the United States and Japan. He attend ...

- painter and sculptor * Claire Windsor - silent film actress

References

{{authority control High schools in King County, Washington Educational institutions established in 1902 Schools in Seattle Defunct schools in Washington (state) Educational institutions disestablished in 1946 Capitol Hill, Seattle Seattle Public Schools 1902 establishments in Washington (state)