Construction signs are posted around the former W. H. Adamson High School campus. Photo by Emma Ruby.
The future of Oak Cliff’s oldest high school is uncertain due to structural issues that have been found at the Old Adamson campus, DISD Trustee for District 7 Ben Mackey said.
The district had planned for Old Adamson to become a choice school that could open as soon as fall 2024, but the issues were discovered during the early work phase of the restoration.
The district had plans to keep the school’s historic façade intact, but Mackey said destabilization of the front of the building, along with other issues, have left the district with a price tag that is nearly double the original $47 million budget.
The budget was meant to cover the building restoration as well as furnishings for the new school, but Mackey said the new cost estimate would not cover furnishings or “other soft costs” despite “far exceeding” DISDs planned budget.
Mackey has met with the Adamson Alumni Association and the city’s chief preservation planner to discuss plans for the building moving forward, and the district is seeking a second opinion for the cost estimate for the building.
“DISD is actively working on getting a second opinion on the problems by a firm with experience in historic buildings and will assess next steps after this,” Mackey said.
The District will likely file a motion with the city’s Landmark Commission to discuss whether or not the building is salvageable, he said.
