Orchard was built in a very unique way. It was constructed by lowering 9'x13' preassembled panels between the blue pillars you see around the school. The only exception to this was the gym.

Construction on Orchard Junior High began in 1961; the school was completed in 1962. The building was constructed by Fraley and Leighton.

Orchard cost $1,167,508 to build. Wells & Wade, Inc. and Briggs Electric Co. both helped with the construction and supplies.

Orchard's exterior has changed over the years, too.

The following is from an interview with former student Chuc Nguyen:

Q. What did Orchard look like when you went there?
A. The building colors were different. I think it used to be red, white and blue at one time, but the red faded so it became a pink building. People used to call it the "Pink Prison".

The following is from an interview with former student Richard Cunningham:

Q. Has the building changed at all?
A. The passage way in the courtyard was supposed to be enclosed, but to cut cost they didn't enclose it. The roof was not supposed to be flat, but to cut costs they put the flat one on. And every other year they rebuilt it.

The following is from an interview with former teacher Paul Reasor:

Q. If you could go back in time, would you change anything about Orchard?
A. The ROOF! It always leaked!

Orchard used to have stairs in front of the library and cafeteria. They changed this later due to the fact that students and staff in wheelchairs could not access this area.

The firedoors around the building are used to contain a fire to a certain part of the building. The photo you see is the one and only useless firedoor. This one is useless because of the fact that it is in the breezeway, which is an open area. The fire would just continue to burn in the courtyard. The firedoors have not been used except to close off the hallways during certain activities.