page_title: Blue Oak School
section_title: School site and building
hierarchical_section_title: Blue Oak School / School site and building
caption_attribution_description: This is the the first of a series of 14 photos, all labeled: "WASHINGTON PRIMARY SCHOOL HABS No. CA-2394 (Napa County Agricultural Building), 1436 Polk Street, Napa, Napa County, California"; "Bill Agee. Photographer. January 8. 1994". This image is also labeled: "CA-2394-1 WASHINGTON SCHOOL, FACADE. FACING NORTH." This building was built and first used as an elementary school in 1909. After being used for some years for Napa County administrative offices, following which it was closed and slated for demolition, it was purchased by Blue Oak School, restored, and reopened as a primary school in 2002.
context_page_description: Blue Oak School is a private K–8 independent elementary school focused on progressive education. The school was founded in 2002 and is located in Napa, California. The school has approximately 26 teachers and 175 students with an average class size of 18 students.
context_section_description: The school restored and occupied an historic schoolhouse, winning an award for the preservation of the building and its sustainable design, including the first use of a geothermal heat pump system by a California school.  The building at 1436 Polk Street was originally the Washington Primary School, designed by Napa architect Luther Turton and built in 1909. The site had been used beginning in 1879 for the one-room Polk Street School.  From 1933 to 1947 the building was the site of the Manual Arts & Sciences School, where home economics classes were taught. The building was renamed Polk Street School from 1948 to 1950. In 1953 the school was converted to a county office building, housing the planning commission and public works staff. The building had most recently housed the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner and the University of California Cooperative Extension before falling into disrepair in the 1990s  When the County offices were closed in the early 1990s, the building had deteriorated and was scheduled for demolition. Blue Oak School bought the property in March 2000.   The building was renovated and named Blue Oak School, opening its doors in the Fall of 2002. As part of the renovation, the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system utilized a geothermal ground-source heat pump. The contractor claims that "this project represents the first use of a geothermal system in an educational setting in the state of California."  The School received a Merit Award from the Napa County Landmarks Preservation Action Committee in 2003 for restoring the building to its original use, preserving much of the original structure, and use of sustainable methods such as the geothermal system.
caption: Washington Primary School facade in 1994, prior to restoration
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