A fresh coat of paint on an old building is bound to draw notice. When the building is 110 years old with a prominent sign from its bygone days, some folks do more than notice.
It was the sign — “Betty Spooner’s School of the Dance” — that tugged at the hearts of longtime Everett residents as it was painted over.
In 1926, Spooner established her dance school at 2821 Rockefeller Ave. Her son, Mike Jordan, took over the school after his mother’s death in 1967. He was a beloved dance instructor there for nearly 40 years. Jordan died in 2004 at age 69.
The Dance School, a nonprofit created in 2006, now occupies the building’s second-floor studios. Dancers of all ages still climb the narrow stairway to class, like generations of dancers who came before.
This week, some passersby were stunned to see the old Betty Spooner sign covered over as the building was being repainted. Old lettering was still visible through a white primer coat Wednesday, but by Thursday, the sign had disappeared under tan-colored paint.
“I’m aware of the sympathies. Believe me, I have them myself,” said building owner Morrie Trautman, 63, whose family history in Everett goes back five generations.
“My grandmother, my mother, my sisters and my daughter all danced there,” Trautman said. “We tried to maintain it over the years. It was in pretty bad shape,” he said of the Betty Spooner sign. In recent photos, the old brick looked soiled and some letters were fading away.
The brick needed tuckpoint work on the mortar joints and resurfacing, he said.
Trautman, a former member of the Everett Historical Commission that advises the city on preservation matters, considered restoring the old sign, but to paint it anew would have been both expensive and confusing. The Dance School plans new signage of its own. Trautman, who is on the Arts Council of Snohomish County, wants a plaque on the outside of the building, explaining it’s historical significance.
Heidi Heimarck, executive director of The Dance School, is exploring the idea of an homage to the building’s dance legacy, with pictures of Jordan and Spooner.
Jordan already is recognized downtown with a life-sized bronze sculpture of the legendary danceman outside the Everett Performing Arts Center on Wetmore Avenue. Created by Kevin Pettelle and installed in 2006, the $50,000 sculpture titled “Simple Song” was funded by hundreds of donors.
“Morrie Trautman knew it would be controversial,” Heimarck said of the paint job. A bit of an outcry started before the paint was dry.
Trautman said a couple of people were expressing anger directly to the painters Wednesday. The Herald heard from Victoria Mason, who asked in an email: “What the heck is happening to the old Betty Spooner’s School of Dance?” The Everett woman said she was “heartbroken that this important heritage piece is gone forever.”
At the Everett Public Library, history specialist David Dilgard said a man stopped by the library’s Northwest Room, essentially asking Dilgard to do something about it.
Everett has no rule that would have stopped Trautman from painting over the sign, said Jan Meston, a community development specialist with the city. “If the building had been on the Everett Register of Historic Places, there would have been a required review by the historical commission,” she said.
Meston said Trautman not only served on the historical commission, “he has a history of taking really good care of his buildings. He’s very sensitive to history.”
The Rockefeller Avenue building, also once a Safeway store, is part of the Hewitt Avenue National Register District, Meston said. That doesn’t prevent it from being repainted. Some preservationists discourage painting over what she called “ghost signs,” which are usually more faint than the Betty Spooner lettering.
Trautman said there’s now an opportunity to change the building’s look. The main floor, a large storefront previously occupied by Citrine Health, is now for lease.
At The Dance School, which has about 140 students, new programs are coming for today’s dancers.
A “Casino Night” fundraiser will be held at the school Saturday to raise money for dance scholarships, a new dance program for children with sensory-processing issues, and to create a new dance company of top dancers.
“It’s time for the Dance School to get recognition for what it’s doing,” Heimarck said. “Although everybody honors the past, we have to create a vital future.”
Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460; jmuhlstein@heraldnet.com.
The Dance School
benefit Saturday
The Dance School will host a Casino Night &Silent Auction from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday at 2821 Rockefeller in downtown Everett. The fundraiser for the nonprofit school that teaches ballet and modern dance will include casino games, auction items, food and beverages. Proceeds will support dance scholarships, the school’s new dance company, and a dance program for students with sensory issues. Tickets $45; ticket information at www.thedanceschool.org or call 425-259-6861.
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