After more than a year of negotiations and many years of uncertainty, the Small Faces Child Development Center Board of Directors has placed before the Seattle School board a purchase offer that will decide the future of the former Crown Hill Elementary School .

The former Crown Hill Elementary School building is one of several surplus properties being sold by the Seattle School District.  Built in 1919 and expanded in 1949, the building has always served as an important community resource.  No longer needed as an elementary school, for the past three decades the building has served as home to a nationally accredited childcare facility, with more recent additions of ARC School of Ballet, several small arts non-profits, as well as to the Crown Hill Neighborhood Association (CHNA) and Crown Hill Business Association (CHBA).

The  Small Faces Board has worked closely with its tenants, CHNA, local business, CHBA, and the City of Seattle to ensure that the school and property continue to provide vital and sustainable community services and arts programs, not just to Crown Hill but to the greater Seattle area.

At their recent September board meeting the Small Faces Board of Directors voted to finalize a purchase offer that is scheduled go to the executive level of the Seattle School District on September 10th and the in front of the full board on September 17th.  A district vote is expected on October 1st.

For information on Small Faces please contact Lynn B. Wirta, Executive Director. (206) 782-2611  For more information about the former Crown Hill Elementary, or details on the agreement and plans, please contact Catherine Weatbrook at (206) 372-2033  Catherine.Weatbrook@gmail.com. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

In late breaking news, the agreement cleared the executive committee of the school board this afternoon (September 10th, 2008).