Anchorage had gone from having one school, to having to hold classes in World War II-surplus Quonset huts, in less than a decade due to the rapid population influx to Anchorage, which was centered upon WWII, the Cold War and related construction activity at Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson.

Following the Spenard PUD's formation, the area immediately surrounding the school saw a building boom, largely due to the efforts of real estate developers such as Earl and Wally Hickel.

ACC continued to use the building until they moved to the campus built in the Goose Lake neighborhood (an area now known as the University-Medical District, or U-Med for short) in the early 1970s.

[citation needed] The auditorium hosted many events and concerts including Steppenwolf, the Paul Taylor Dance Company, A Prairie Home Companion (1986), Ozzy Osbourne, Blue Öyster Cult (the first of many appearances the band made in Alaska between 1980 and 1999), Bee Gees, Ted Nugent, Nazareth (1983), Ray Charles, Johnny Cash and Itzhak Perlman, and Bill Nye the science guy (2014).

[6][7][8] A worship rally held in the gym in 1978, organized by the East Anchorage-based Anchorage Baptist Temple and headlined by keynote speaker Paul Harvey, raised the public profile of the church substantially.

Prevo and his parishioners would become well known in Anchorage shortly thereafter for their role in establishing the Moral Majority in Alaska and their active involvement in Republican Party politics.

Following the opening of the Sullivan Arena and the Egan Center, ASD largely stopped renting the venues to commercial promoters.

The original 1953 floor tile bearing the school's seal (eagle logo and name) is kept well-preserved, and encircled by a chain barrier.

Both West and Romig's Parent Teacher Student Associations, and the eight Anchorage community councils within the attendance area of the schools, have supported redeveloping the campus consistent with the Pre-Planning Vision Report completed in the spring of 2008.

Meetings were scheduled over the next year, seeking input from the schools, teachers, parents, students, the municipality, businesses, non-profit agencies, and community as a whole.

The planning process was scheduled to be completed in December 2009 with sufficient detail to design, finance, and redevelop both schools to meet the educational needs of the 21st century and become a center of community.

West High has been an International Baccalaureate World School since February 2004, students complete IB classes in six subject areas.

They include football, soccer, cross-country running, nordic skiing, volleyball, tennis, hockey, and track & field.

The school newspaper, the Eagle's Cry, is an online publication with content written by student members of the eponymous club.

West's competitive Drama, Debate, and Forensics team competes in the Alaska School Activities Association's state championship 4A division.