In Limbo: Alameda High's Larry Patton Gym

The fate of ’s Larry Patton Gym remains unclear, even after a meeting last week to determine if proper retrofits for the facility were ever completed.

Alameda Unified School District officials met with California State Architect's staff in a quest for documentation that would indicate whether the Patton gym is compliant with the Field Act, a 1933 law which requires schools to meet stringent standards for earthquake safety.

Robert Shemwell, AUSD's chief business officer, said it could take several weeks to locate the information, if it exists.

The gym was shut down Feb. 1 when staff reviewing paperwork for the facility were unable to find documentation that the gym was in compliance with the architectural safety standards required for educational facilitites. 

While the search for documentation continues in Sacramento, physical education classes have been relocated from the Larry Patton Gym  to the "new" gym or outdoor spaces. After-school activities run by outside groups, such as Alameda Youth Basketball, are also being moved to different venues.

“We have plenty of space across the district to accommodate them,” said Shemwell.

The weight room used by Alameda High athletes is also being moved from the gym to a different room in the school. The transfer of equipment began on Friday, Feb.  11, and is expected to be completed within the next few days, Shemwell said.

If no evidence of the building’s Field Act compliance is found, the Larry Patton Gym could require a hefty financial investment to bring it up to code, Shemwell said. 

But even if the district decided retrofitting would not be cost-effective, the historical nature of the building makes it unlikely that the gym would face the bulldozer, he added. The gym was constructed between 1928 and 1930.

Shemwell said the building could still be used for events and activities other than K-12 instruction, much like the district offices and the Alameda Adult School buildings—neither of which comply with the Field Act.

This option, however, would present a quandary. “If it doesn’t have certification, then the facility would not be complying with state architectural code and we would not be allowed to have children in it,” said Shemwell. “But if you’re going to prohibit students being there during the regular school day, are you going to allow them to be there in the evening?”

Because the Field Act augmented standard safety guidelines, buildings which do not comply are by no means “unsafe,” Shemwell added. Public school buildings are required to adhere to tougher standards for the welfare of students, and also because they may provide shelter for the community during natural disasters.

For now, the “old” gym will stand unused.

“It’s just kind of a waiting game to see what comes back from Sacramento,” said Shemwell.