Haas Hall Academy faculty, staff, and scholars, along with community leaders, supporters, local residents and business owners, celebrated the completed renovation of the historic Lane Hotel as the new Haas Hall Academy Rogers campus at a dedication ceremony Sept. 19.
“I am honored and humbled to celebrate the rejuvenation of the former Lane Hotel,” Founder and Superintendent Dr. Martin Schoppmeyer said in his remarks. “It’s a day to celebrate the past life of this historic structure and to anticipate its future as the home of Haas Hall Academy’s Rogers campus.”
The former Lane Hotel, built in 1928 and located at the corner of Second and Poplar streets, has been renovated over the last year and now houses approximately 200 scholars in grades 7 – 10. The five-story building is a mix of new classrooms and architecturally restored elements that make it both user friendly yet historically significant.
“The desire to respect the historical context of the structure while blending the building program and demands of a contemporary educational curriculum was the goal of this project,” said design architect John Mack. “Addressing the life safety issues of fire protection, emergency egress, and the structural upgrades to meet the current International Building Code standards was our biggest challenge, but I think everyone agrees that we were able to do so successfully.”
Haas Hall Academy now has four campuses in Northwest Arkansas, but this location provides some elements that make it unique, including a cafeteria, newsroom and science labs. “I feel confident that this campus will meet the same standards that have been set by the Fayetteville and Bentonville campuses,” said headmaster Larry Henry.
Haas Hall Academy has been ranked as the No. 1 public high school in Arkansas by U.S. News & World Report for six consecutive years and ranked as the 19th best public high school in the nation by Newsweek Magazine. The school has a 100 percent graduation rate and a 100 percent college acceptance rate. There are limited openings for new scholars at both the Rogers and Springdale locations. For more information about possible enrollment for this school year or the next, go to http://www.haashall.org/admissions/application/.
Additional speakers at the ceremony included Haas Hall Academy School Board Member Hubert Mendonca; Walton Family Foundation Senior Program Officer Kathy Smith; Project Architect with JKJ Architects John Mack; and City of Rogers Mayor Greg Hines.
Following the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony, attendees were able to tour the building.