Overcrowding persisted at the new facility, made worse in 1924 when Topeka's Fire Marshall closed the school's 4th floor, calling it "the biggest fire trap in the city". A committee planning the construction of a new high school recommended that one large school be built, and that it occupy an entire city block. They wished it to be "an addition to the City's public buildings, and not just another building". Bishop James Wise offered to sell the grounds of Bethany College and other church property for a price of $142,000, and in 1928, Topeka voters approved issuing bonds of $1.1 million (=$14 million in 2014 adjusted for inflation) to finance construction of the new Topeka High School. Thomas Williamson (an alumnus from 1907) and Ted Griest were selected as architects, and Linus Burr Smith as designer. Construction of the new school took 18 months, and the total cost was $1.8 million. The school opened in September 1931, and there were 2000 students enrolled by the following year.