by :: Cate
What? Sleep in school?
Where in the world can you fall asleep in school and not get in trouble?
At the Kennedy School in Portland, Oregon.
Built in 1915, this beloved Northeast Portland neighborhood school closed its doors in the late 70′s. The building remained abandoned until brothers Brian and Mike McMenamin converted the school into a hotel, brewpub, community center, and more:
Here you may chew gum, laugh out loud, and even pull that special someone’s pigtails (as long as they approve, of course!), take a nap in class, enjoy an aged whiskey and a cigar in detention, and enjoy a movie in the old auditorium. The possibilities here are endless.
Back when it wasn’t ok to sleep in class : A little history
The Kennedy School opened with 29 students and one portable building in what was then past the outskirts of town. At that time, many of the families in that rather remote area lived without electricity, water, sewers, and telephones.
In addition to educating students, the Kennedy School established itself as a community center. The building was often used as a public meeting hall, polling place, Red Cross blood drawing center, collection site for paper and tin can drives, weekend playground, and even a flood-relief shelter.
The school’s presence was so firmly rooted in the community that when it was to close in the mid-1970′s, Portlanders successfully kept the crumbling building from being demolished. In the late 1990′s, the McMenamin brothers won a bid to renovate the school and transformed it into a unique set of offerings for both the local community and out-of-town visitors.
If you want to sleep in school, you have 35 rooms to choose from.
Nowadays, the Kennedy School has 35 guestrooms “fashioned from former classrooms (complete with original chalkboards and cloakrooms, private baths, telephones and modems),” a restaurant, several bars, movie theater, soaking pool, and even a working brewery.
If you ever find yourself in Portland, Oregon (which is just north of my hometown, by the way) be sure to schedule a visit to the unique Kennedy School into your itinerary.
After all, where else can you eat, sleep, and drink beer in school?
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