'Never gave up': Baltimore County breaks ground on new Lansdowne High School

BALTIMORE - The aging Lansdowne High School will soon be replaced.

Baltimore County leaders, along with school officials announced the beginning of construction a new school.

Despite rainy conditions, county and school leaders broke ground Tuesday outside the original high school.

"When it looked like the reality of a new school might not happen, this community rallied together, found the courage to keep on moving and never gave up," said Lansdowne High School Principal Allison Seymour. "Today we are here celebrating what this new campus will be, represents to those who live in this community, those who graduated from this school, those who currently attend this school and those who are to come."

The Lansdowne High School will feature a state-rated capacity of 1,759 seats, which is 300 seats more than the current school.  

The $156 million project will include three, three-story wings connected to a two-story physical education and fine arts wing by a sun-filled, multiuse commons area. 

At 318,461 square feet – more than 100,000 square feet larger than the present building – the new, state-of-the-art building will rise just to the northwest of the current school, which will be removed to make way for athletic fields and other amenities for the new campus. 

"We are so excited to finally be at this moment for Lansdowne High School," Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said. "We came together, we proved that we could do that."

The current Lansdowne High School was built in 1963.

Various proposals to renovate or replace the school building were made in 2016 and 2017.

However, Baltimore County officials budgeted ~$30 million in 2017 to renovate and air condition the facility, but the plan was rejected when parents contended that an entirely new school should instead be considered.

Officials then finally agreed to budget $156 million for a brand-new school.