The late 1970's and the early 80's saw great growth in Southeast Boise. The Triangle Dairy turned from hay fields, pastures and cows into Lakewood Subdivision. Other subdivisions sprang up in the area. A shopping center was added, and the rush to the area intensified.
Garfield and Campus Schools became overcrowded. Children were transported out of the area to other schools, such as Hawthorne, Hillcrest, and Owyhee.
The Garfield School PTA did a survey of potential school age children in the area to convince the school administration and public that another school was needed in South Boise. A bond was put before the patrons in 1982. It passed, and a new school was built on Bergeson Street in 1983-84.
Liberty was the first elementary school built in Boise in five years. It was patterned after Amity, which was constructed in 1979. Some significant changes were made. Amity's new design featured an earthen covering. Liberty has earth berms around the building. Liberty features separate cafeteria and gymnasium facilities. The gym has a rubberized surface which was a vast improvement over the tartan floor at Amity.
Liberty's media center, features a skylight and a large window, and is light and airy. A sunken reading center is often used for presentation of new books and book talks.
The classrooms in the new school were constructed with connecting sliding doors. This allowed integration of lessons, when needed. The rooms feature significant storage space and outside access.
Liberty's design was essentially copied for new schools built in the early 90's across the district. You can see the similarity when you look at White Pine, Cynthia Mann, Riverside, and Horizon.
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