Demolition of old Bend High begins with Gymnasium

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Demolition of the old Bend High School began today, starting with the gymnasium.

An excavator with a specialized pincer attachment started pulling apart the old structure.

The demolition is expected to continue until the end of the summer, by which time every part of the old school, except a mini-gymnasium, will be removed. This will make room for new buildings, including a new gymnasium.

The excavator took large bites out of the roof and walls of the old school, carefully peeling away the side of the building. As pieces of the structure fell, another machine scooped away the wreckage.

Christopher Reese, Principal of Bend High School, was on site for the occasion. He reflected on the sentiment surrounding the demolition. “spent a lot of, time in that facility and a lot of memories wrapped up in that,” Reese said. “But also on the flip side, with those mixed emotions is, the sooner we get this down, the sooner we, get working on a brand new gymnasium.”

Yesterday, workers opened the gymnasium roof to safely remove the original Lava Bears bear claw logo, which had been at center court since 1955.

The original Lava Bears bear claw, a fixture at center court for decades, was carefully extracted. The flooring that bears the logo will be reinstalled in a future hallway that will lead up to the new gymnasium.

Demolition is scheduled to conclude by the end of the summer. The salvaged Lava Bears bear claw flooring will be installed in a future hallway leading to the new gymnasium.