Roosevelt Elementary School
W. 333-14th Avenue

In 1906, Roosevelt School was first constructed as a four-room frame schoolhouse at S. 1415 Bernard Street. It was named after U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, one of America’s most popular presidents. The school was significantly upgraded in 1907, 1910, 1917, and 1954-1955. Sadly in 1980, the brick historic school building was demolished and replaced by the present “cookie-cutter” concrete school. Over the years, a few exceptional students and principals were associated with Roosevelt School. Student Walter Brattain distinguished himself in science, sharing the 1956 Nobel Prize in physics for discovering the transistor. In 1962, Gerald Saling was Roosevelt’s seventh principal, who went on to serve in the Washington State Legislature and ultimately was elected a Senator from Spokane’s Fifth Legislative District. In 1988, Roosevelt was one of ten Washington State schools to be honored by the U.S. Department of Education’s Exceptional Elementary Schools Program. Roosevelt continues to be one of the most progressive schools in Washington State. Many Roosevelt Elementary School students attended Lewis & Clark High School, graduating in 1968.