Duluth schools unveil final designs for First Street build‑out, plan fall 2026 move

DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth Public School District presented final drawings and a floor‑by‑floor plan on Jan. 14 for the former distribution building being converted to district offices and program space, now called the First Street build‑out. Architects and district facilities staff described separate secure entrances, program layouts for adult education and alternate learning centers (ALC), a food‑service receiving plan in the basement, and a single two‑sided elevator that will control access to distinct program zones.

District staff and architect Chris Hogan of Miller Architects said the plan preserves separate, access‑controlled zones for multiple programs. Facilities manager Brian Brown and Assistant Superintendent Bonds told board members the ground floor will include public reception and a centralized enrollment area, while the second floor will house ALC classrooms, adult education, teacher offices, a science lab and art room. Hogan said vestibules, card readers and a two‑sided elevator will keep circulation separate so, for example, ALC students and adult‑education visitors cannot move freely into each other’s secured spaces.

The design also includes a basement food‑service receiving area with two receiving rooms and a space the local health department asked be suitable for dishwashing; deliveries would be sorted in the basement and staged for interior distribution, the architect said. Hogan said the elevator is being converted from an existing freight shaft to an ADA‑compliant passenger elevator and will be “two‑sided,” controlled by card access so adult ed users can exit one side and the ALC users the other.

Board members pressed for operational details: whether buses or vans would use the ramp access, how parking would be handled and whether the district will provide on‑site security and live cameras. Staff said they had discussed street meter removal with the city to reserve street parking for drop off, that the district will provide security on site, and that cameras are on order pending IT equipment to complete the system. Hogan said the site has a mix of surface and ramp parking — about 38 spaces overall, with roughly 16 facing First Avenue and the remainder in the ramp/underground lot — and that the district owns the ramp.

On capacity and schedule, the architect and district leaders said each floor is roughly 20,000 square feet and the basement footprint roughly the same; they did not provide a single‑day maximum capacity but said programs operate on staggered schedules so not all programs will be in use at once. Hogan said bid packages were expected to be prepared by mid‑summer and that construction would begin in the fall, with a target move‑in in fall 2026 if leases and construction proceed on schedule. Staff said leases with some tenants extend through that date.

Board members and staff also described program operational details: adult education will be accessed from the main vestibule and will have testing rooms and a computer lab; ALC (middle and high school) will have segregated entrances, classrooms and dedicated restroom and meal areas; and centralized enrollment kiosks and a staffed reception desk will receive public traffic. Several members asked whether the district will appoint a single building administrator; district leaders said staffing and coordination roles are under consideration and will be decided as the project nears completion.

The presentation closed with staff offering tours and a promise to follow up with details on egress capacity, camera installation schedule and a finalized construction timeline.

District staff said they had changed the project name in internal materials from “DNT build‑out” to “First Street build‑out.”