Our School

  • Madison Beginnings

    Students from the original Madison, located at Whitehouse Street and Dalke Avenue, carried their pencil boxes to the new Madison on November 10, 1949. Two hundred students from kindergarten through fourth grade moved into the new school. One hundred seventeen Willard pupils from kindergarten to fifth grade moved on November 28, 1949. In addition, another 74 sixth and seventh graders moved from Willard to Madison before Christmas, giving Madison an enrollment of approximately 400. Eighth grade was added the following year.

    The original building was constructed in 1910, this school was a one-classroom, frame building. It cost approximately $2,750. A one-classroom frame addition was added in 1911, and a one-room frame portable was added in 1914. This school was vacant from 1934 to 1935. The original site was 23,040 square feet or .53 acres. It was deeded back to the original owners in 1957 after being donated to the district in 1908.

    Renamed Madison

    The Madison School was first called the Byme’s Addition School because it was on land given by Dr. Patrick S. Byme, a mayor of Spokane, who platted the addition. In October 1915 four schools were renamed. At this time, Byme’s Addition School became Madison.
old madison in 1910

  • Spokane's Pride

    Adjacent to Franklin Park, one of the city’s beauty spots, Madison was one of Spokane’s pride and joys. Madison embodies structurally and aesthetically many features which modern educators believed essential in a school plant.

    Madison School was studied by 150 of the state’s architects, contractors, and superintendents in March of 1950 during a school plant workshop conducted by Pearl Wanamaker, state superintendent. The workshop gave builders and others interested in school construction an opportunity to study the latest trends in educational facilities.

    Portables were used as enrollment climbed to 500 and more students. The Davis School for the hearing impaired was housed in portables off the east wing. This program was moved to Linwood and the portables removed in1983.

    Wonderful Events

    Alice Chapman, retired teacher of 24 years at Madison, remembers “many wonderful and interesting events about Madison.

    “I recall superb annual sixth grade productions of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol directed by Peter Budig with cooperating teachers Edith Lever, Elaine Vivian, and Marilyn Highberg... science fairs that filled the gym to overflowing, large carnivals, school wide economic projects, and fun things like the PTA men’s ballet with Principal Edwin Crooks.”

    One project under Principal James Frye has an interesting future! When the landscaping tree is removed from the parking lot at the northeast side of the school, a time capsule will be uncovered which holds contributions from each class at the time the tree was planted.

    Madison has held many special traditions for Spokane families and has always been a school with outstanding principals and teachers, and congenial cooperation among teachers and staff.

    Research Team

    Deborah Lamanna
    Joann Armstrong