Building History

Stewart Elementary School
426 4th Avenue Northeast
Puyallup, WA 98372

The present Stewart Elementary School was constructed underthe 1997 Bond Program as a replacement forthe 1962 building and opened in 2002. During the 2001-02 school year, the school was temporarily relocated to the old Edgemont Junior High building to allow for construction ofthe new building. It is located on the same site as the old Stewart Elementary School, which is now known as the Karshner Museum building. The site also housed Puyallup's Central School. Stewart Elementary School is located in east Puyallup, east of Meridian Avenue and north ofMain Avenue East.

The school was named afterJames P. Stewart. Mr. Stewart was born near Croten, New York, now known as Treadway, New York, on September 20, 1833. Stewart came to the Puyallup Valley in 1859 and was the first permanent settlerto file a claim in the valley following the Indian War of 1855-56.

In 1860, Stewart began teaching school near Spanaway Lake. That same year, he was elected as probate judge ofPierce County. About that same time, the Puyallup School District was revived, and directors voted to place a school on his land, near the location of Puyallup's Meridian Street Bridge. In 1861, J.P. Stewart was appointed as a school director. Later in 1862, Stewart became the postmaster, a position he held for 11 years. By 1870, Mr. Stewart had gone into the hop farming business, while also continuing in the mercantile business. James P. Stewart died on January 13, 1895, at the age of 61.

An effort was made in the design to exploit the relationship with the Karshner Museum; thus, the school serves as an extended gallery forthe museum. Furthermore, the school has one (1) ofthe district's prototype play sheds. In 2012, the building received a Building Assessment Score of90, which is the maximum score for a building over one-year-old. It will be eligible for state matching funds for modernization or new construction in lieu of modernization in 2032.