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Continued from last week…
The First Classes Begin
The new high school began classes on the third floor in the Redwood City Grammar School building located on Broadway near Middlefield Road, with an enrollment of 53 students. A $5 tuition was charged to students from outside the district.
Classes were held upstairs in the school building, which was ultimately razed to make way for the Sequoia Theater, which was later renamed Fox Theater.
In 1900, the University of California accredited the school.
In 1904, a new campus was built down the street, opposite the old San Mateo County Courthouse, now the San Mateo County Historical Society. It was heavily damaged in the 1906 earthquake. However, after needed repairs, it continued to house Sequoia High School for another eighteen years.
(Fast forward to the early 2,000s as Redwood City became increasingly gentrified with new businesses; this location gave way to a large theater complex, restaurants, and more.)
A Beautiful New Campus
A growing population necessitated a larger facility for Sequoia. In 1920, the widow of Albert Pissis (then current property owner) agreed to sell the land on the condition it would be used for municipal educational purposes. Before this, the land belonged to the Arguello family. Then, it was sold to Horace Hawes in 1858, who built an estate on the property. Subsequent estate owners included Moses Hopkins and William Dingee.
The sprawling new campus, encompassing an entire city block, opened in 1924 at 1201 Brewster near Broadway. Designed in Spanish Renaissance style, it was considered one of the state’s most beautiful high school campuses.
Everything Else is Just History
To be continued…
