There may not be another site in Vancouver that has been through as many unusual transformations. The property north of Plomondon Street and south of the streetcar line (now SR-500) was the site of farmland, the county fair, and the occasional traveling circus. Then Bagley Downs, a horse racetrack, opened and became a popular place for betting and socializing. Later, Bert Bagley turned it into a dog racetrack, illegal but ignored by the local authorities through bribes, until the state shut it down.

In 1943 Bagley Downs Elementary opened to serve children in the surrounding WWII housing. In 1946, after parents protested the school being named after the racetrack and its notorious namesake, the school name was changed to Lewis and Clark Elementary School. Then, because of confusion with Clark College, the name was shortened to Lewis Elementary School.

Over the years, classrooms were added piecemeal fashion. In 1953 the school become Lewis Junior High School, and a new addition opened in 1954. In 1962, seven new classrooms, a library, and an office area were added. Weeks after completion, on October 12, the Columbus Day Storm hit, requiring major building repairs. The school continued as Lewis Junior High until 1986.

In 2001 the building was transformed into the Jim Parsley Center. Half became the Jim Parsley Community Center (JPCC). The school gymnasium, built in the 1950s, was kept intact with a refinished floor. A two-story addition with a swimming pool and climbing wall was funded through a $5 million donation from George and Carolyn Propstra. The Free Clinic of Southwest Washington opened its first permanent space in the building thanks to generous donations.

The west side of the building became the district’s administrative center, replacing the WWII buildings on Devine Road. Classrooms of the old Lewis Junior High still are used for office space. One wing was extended to house Human Resources and Payroll.

The Jim Parsley Education, Family and Community Center continues to evolve as a learning center. It now houses the Home Connection program and Vancouver Internet Academy. Two years ago, the Boys and Girls Club added a program there to serve students from nearby elementary schools. Highly successful, the Club needed to expand and wanted to add services for teens.

This summer, the oldest portion of the building, where the district’s Special Services Department resided, was torn down, and the Boys and Girls Club began building a new two-story addition in that location. To accommodate displaced offices, two wings of the old Lewis Junior High on the west side of the building are being connected. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington raised money for construction of its space, and the district is using capital funds (which can only be used for construction) to connect the west portion of the building.

Once more, the building is changing shape and size and adding services for the community. The old Bagley Downs racetrack location continues to evolve, and there is no sign of a finish line.

9/2009