New Life For Old Schools

A New Life For Old Schools:
Support for the Adaptive Reuse of Abandoned Historic School Buildings
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree of Master of Fine Arts in Historic Preservation
at
Savannah College of Art and Design
Caity Hamilton
May 2013
The author hereby grants SCAD permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and electronic
thesis copies of document in whole or in part in any medium now known or hereafter created.
Signature of Author and Date ____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________/___/___
Connie Capozzola Pinkerton
Committee Chair
_____________________________________________________________________/___/___
James Abraham
Committee Member
_____________________________________________________________________/___/___
Justin Gunther
Committee Member
A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Historic Preservation Department in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the
Degree of Master of Fine Arts in Historic Preservation
Savannah College of Art and Design
By
Caity Hamilton
Savannah, GA
May 2013
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, thank you to my committee members, for your guidance and
feedback. Special thanks goes to my thesis chair, Connie Pinkerton for her undying
encouragement, for patiently walking me through massive restructuring, and for being willing
to read and think more about schools than anyone should ever have to.
To my parents and brother, who have been incredibly supportive of all my decisions,
even when I was not sure of them myself. Thank you for your unshakable confidence in me and
for constantly reminding me that I am more capable than I know.
To all of my friends and classmates, thank you for the best two years of my life. I could
not have imagined a better group of people to ride this roller coaster with. I am especially
grateful to Simone Morris and Amanda Starzak for their patience and support in helping me
organize my thoughts and keep my sanity.
Table of Contents
ABSTRACT 1
INTRODUCTION 2
TERMS 4
CHAPTER 1: THE LOSS OF HISTORIC SCHOOLS 6

WHY HISTORIC SCHOOLS ARE BEING ABANDONED 7
WHY IT MATTERS 9
MAINTAINING A CLOSED SCHOOL 11
CHAPTER 2: ADAPTIVE REUSE AND SCHOOL BUILDINGS 12

ADAPTIVE REUSE 12
ADAPTING FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY 14
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE 17
CHAPTER 3: CASE STUDIES 21

CHARLESTON HIGH SCHOOL 22
IRONTON HIGH SCHOOL 22
MCDONALD HIGH SCHOOL 23
NOTRE DAME ACADEMY 24
OUR LADY OF VICTORY CONVENT AND BOARDING SCHOOL 25
BUFFALO SCHOOL 26
HODGE SCHOOL 30
RAVENSWOOD HIGH SCHOOL 32
CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ADAPTIVE REUSE OF HISTORIC SCHOOLS 35

CENTRAL JUNIOR HIGH 35
HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD 39
RECOMMENDATIONS 41
CONCLUDING REMARKS 46
BIBLIOGRAPHY 47
APPENDIX: FIGURES 51
Caity Hamilton
May 2013
Historic schools are often tied to their communitys sense of place and identity and when they
are abandoned or demolished they leave a void in their cultural heritage. School buildings can
often be seen as more of a challenge than an opportunity for reuse, but this thesis seeks to prove
that adaptive reuse can provide a new economically feasible purpose for these school buildings,
decrease construction and demolition costs, and be environmentally efficient. This thesis will
also evaluate case studies, examine financial incentives, and apply findings to recommendations
for vacant historic schools buildings.
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Introduction
Historic school buildings have an important place in our communities and cultural
heritage. Schools are an integral part of these communities and employ, educate, and serve as
gathering places for the local citizens. They are tied to their neighborhoods sense of place and
identity and when they are abandoned or demolished they leave a void in that heritage. This
thesis will prove the value of historic schools to our cultural and architectural heritage, discuss
the effects of their abandonment on their surrounding neighborhoods, and will produce
recommendations for adaptively reusing abandoned school buildings.
Historic school buildings are often vacated in favor of new construction because of
district consolidation, public policies, dwindling attendance, outdated facilities, and poor
maintenance during use. School architecture is often representative of an era, such as Collegiate
Gothic Style that saw a rise in popularity for educational buildings in the United States in the late
19th and early 20th centuries. 1 Thick structural supports characteristic of pre-World War II
construction ensure that with proper maintenance these buildings can continue standing well into
the next decades. Losing a historic school building creates holes in the landscape of the
neighborhood and its history. Many of these schools have been a fundamental part of their
community throughout the majority, if not the entirety, of its living memory.
School buildings can be seen as more of a challenge than an opportunity for reuse. This
thesis seeks to prove that adaptive reuse can provide a new purpose for these buildings, even
reducing land use and cost by avoiding demolition and new construction. Adaptive reuse refers
to the process of using a building for a different purpose than was originally intended while
1
Collegiate Gothic Style 1890-1940, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission,
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/late_19th___early_20th_century_revival_period/2390/coll
egiate_gothic_style/294789
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retaining most or all of its character-defining features. 2 Preservationists have often adopted
adaptive reuse as a compromise to save a historic building; it is frequently recognized as a
middle ground between preservation and the complete loss of historic material and helps to
conserve land, energy, time, and waste. By evaluating nine case studies and examining financial
incentives this thesis will prove the feasibility of adaptively reusing a school building.
The tangible criteria for the case studies were chosen to mimic the geographic location of
Central Junior High School in Bluefield, West Virginia, the last of the case studies, as well as its
size and age. Central is an abandoned four-story brick masonry school set on a steep hill in an
equally abandoned neighborhood. This thesis focuses on this building because of its age and
architectural value, as well as its need; although measures have been taken to ensure its survival,
it is empty and waiting for repair and reuse. Each case study also needed to meet intangible
criteria, such as community importance. The small surrounding neighborhood in Bluefield was
built up around the school, most likely hitting its peak in development around the 1950s, but still
active and inhabited until the early 1980s. 3 Likewise, the eight case studies were chosen because
the buildings were, and continue to be, important to their communities. The building in the first
case study, Charleston High School, in Charleston, West Virginia, was built in 1926, but
demolished in 1989 so a new hospital could be constructed on the site. Ironton High School in
Ironton, Ohio, was built in 1922 and boasted state-of-the-art facilities, but it was demolished in
2007 so a brand new school could be built on the same site. McDonald High School in
McDonald, Ohio was in dire need of renovations in 1998 after failing safety and ADA
requirements, but was kept open and updated. It is still in use as the towns only high school
2
Mary Jo Rendon, Rehabilitation and Adaptive Reuse of Schools, Interpreting The Secretary of the Interiors
Standards For Rehabilitation, National Park Service, http://www.nps.gov/tps/standards/applying-rehabilitation/its-
bulletins/ITS12-Schools-AdaptiveUse.pdf
3
Lawrence Calfee, (Building Owner), Interview by Author, Bluefield, WV, November 15, 2012.
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today. Notre Dame Academy in Cleveland, Ohio, was built in 1915, but closed and abandoned in
1978 due a population decline. It was reopened as affordable housing in 1995. Our Lady of
Victory Convent and boarding school for girls in Fort Worth, Texas, was built in 1909 and used
by the convent even after the school was closed. After the convent abandoned it, it was slated for
demolition; a group of community volunteers saved it and it was reused as an arts center in 2004.
Buffalo School in Buffalo, Kentucky was built in 1936, served as the communitys only high
school, and was considered the social center of the small town before it was closed and
abandoned. It now serves the community as affordable elderly housing. In Cleveland, Ohio, the
St Clair-Superior community organized an effort to save the 1905 Hodge School, which is in use
as artists housing. The last case study, Ravenswood High School in East Palo Alto, California,
is a failed adaptive reuse project of a 1958 high school that was later demolished.
Terms
There are several terms found in the following chapters that describe the various
processes used in the preservation of school buildings. The Secretary of the Interiors Standards
for the Treatment of Historic Buildings recognizes four separate treatment options: preservation,
restoration, reconstruction, and rehabilitation. First, preservation should be defined as the
protection of historic fabric through conservation of the material by maintenance and repair. It
should include the buildings changes over time to reflect continuity. 4 In reference to historic
school buildings, this would mean retaining the historic fabric of the exterior and interior of the
building. Normally, to the greatest extent possible, the original use of the building is retained but
this thesis deals with school buildings that have been abandoned, therefore the original use
cannot be preserved. Restoration, according to the Standards, emphasizes a single period of time
4
Introduction: Choosing the Appropriate Treatment for the Historic Building., National Park Service,
http://www.nps.gov/hps/tps/standguide/overview/choose_treat.htm
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in the life of a building, saving materials pertaining to that period while allowing the removal of
anything from later time periods. Reconstruction is rarely ever practiced, but is defined as the
recreation of a non-surviving site or structure using all new materials. 5
The term rehabilitation refers to the process of making a new use compatible with a
historic property through repair and minor alterations or additions while preserving character-
defining features relevant to the propertys historic, cultural, or architectural values. 6 This would
mean adjusting a historic school building only in ways that are most necessary to the new use,
such as the basic floor plan, while retaining the distinctive interior spaces, features, and finishes
that characterize the building as an educational institution. 7 Features such as wide central
hallways, high ceilings, and decorative elements exclusive to collegiate structures characterize
most of the case studies included in this thesis. For a historic structure in particular, adaptive
reuse falls under the category of rehabilitation according to the Secretarys Standards. Adaptive
reuse is the best option for historic school buildings and is the focus of the recommendations
created in this thesis because it is sensitive to the character of the building while still allowing it
to be useful to the community. Another term referred to in later chapters is renovation it is not
included as an acceptable preservation tactic, but for the purpose of this thesis it is used to denote
the process of upgrading a building to a better state, occasionally carrying with it the connotation
of replacing lost material to return a building to functionality.
5
Ibid
6
Ibid.
7
Mary Jo Rendon, Rehabilitation and Adaptive Reuse of Schools, Interpreting The Secretary of the Interiors
Standards For Rehabilitation, National Park Service, http://www.nps.gov/tps/standards/applying-rehabilitation/its-
bulletins/ITS12-Schools-AdaptiveUse.pdf
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Chapter 1: The Loss of Historic Schools
For most people faced with the idea of renovating and a reusing a school building, the
first thing that comes to mind is a question: Why? While any kind of historic building can be
deemed unusable or impossible to preserve and left empty to decay and collapse, school
buildings pose a particular type of challenge. In 2010, the Cleveland Metropolitan School
District planned to demolish twenty-five historic school buildings that were no longer in use. 8
That same year, the Michigan Historic Review Board approved nominations for eighty-eight
schools to be listed on the National Register of Historic places to avoid their demolition. 9
Defined as being more than fifty years old and possessing architectural or historical significance,
historic schools are being closed down and locked up to wait for demolition, either by neglect or
their owners. Since 2000 the National Trust for Historic Preservation has been tracking this
problem, and as a result many historic schools have made it onto endangered buildings lists.
Because of their size and floor plan, school buildings can be seen as more of a challenge than an
opportunity for potential investors and developers. It is important that these buildings be
preserved, both for their historic character and for the communitys cultural heritage.
Neighborhood schools often act as community anchors, places that both employed and
educated local citizens. Many historic schools have been a fundamental part of their
communitys lives throughout the majority, if not the entirety, of their living memory. Even if
the original function of the school is gone, the building itself remains in the same place as a tie to
the communitys cultural heritage and a visible connection to its historic landscape. In the wake
of historic school shutdowns many communities are left with these looming empty structures and
8
Christopher Busta-Peck, Cleveland Schools Slated for Demolition., Cleveland Area History,
http://www.clevelandareahistory.com/2010/05/cleveland-schools-slated-for-demolition.html
9
Renee Khulman, Preservation Round-Up: We Heart Historic Schools Edition., PreservationNation Blog.
http://blog.preservationnation.org/2010/12/27/preservation-round-up-we-heart-schools-edition/#.UZuSWSv72JM.
Accessed May 2013.
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possible investors are more drawn to the idea that tearing them down and selling their land would
be more financially rewarding than rehabilitating and reusing them. There are many factors that
influence their initial abandonment and lead to the decay and demolition that often occurs as a
result.
Why Historic Schools are Being Abandoned
Some of the most common factors that contribute to the abandonment of historic
neighborhood schools are district consolidation, public policies, new construction, and poor
maintenance during use. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has this to say about
abandoned schools: (They are) the victims of deferred maintenance, consolidation,
development pressure, inadequate government funding, policies promoting the construction of
mega-schools in outlying locations, and an often misplaced belief in the superiority of new
school construction. 10 According to the US Department of Education, between 2010 and 2011 a
total of 1,929 schools were closed. 11 This includes both historic and modern schools throughout
the country.
School buildings receive heavy wear and tear throughout their use; high occupancy on a
daily basis for fifty years puts stress on a building, even if it has a detailed maintenance plan and
funds to carry it out. Over the course of many years the original material will deteriorate and
when repairs were not completed the buildings suffer from the lack of maintenance. When
elements like windows, doors, and heating or cooling systems have failed, a building is
sometimes considered unworthy of preservation and its owners fear that funding may not be able
to cover the renovations needed to keep it in public use. However, such elements are only a small
10
National Trust for Historic Preservation, "11 Most Endangered Historic Places- Historic Neighborhood Schools,"
http://www.preservationnation.org/issues/11-most-endangered/locations/historic-neighborhood-schools.html
11
Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools From the Common Core of Data: School Year
201011, National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education,
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/pesschools10/findings.asp
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part of the overall construction; the sturdy walls, foundations, and floors of many older school
buildings may never break down and need to be replaced. The estimated average life of new
construction is as little as thirty to forty years, while historic buildings that have already been
standing fifty or seventy-five years can be estimated to stand well over one hundred years with
regular maintenance. 12 Schools built in the early 1900s, often referred to as pre-World War II,
are usually masonry with massive load-bearing walls for stabilization. Structurally, these
buildings are easier and less costly to care for because their load-bearing features are less likely
to need repair, while those from the post-war suburban era were built quickly and cheaply out
of necessity. 13
Between 1950 and 1959 there was an increase in school construction, due in part to the
Baby Boom from 1946 to 1964. 14 These schools were often put up quickly with newer
materials that were more affordable than the ones used before the war. This made them less
likely to withstand time and the elements as well as their pre-war counterparts. If those schools
did not receive proper maintenance while they were open, their neglect paired with heavy use
can render them unsafe for operation without massive repairs and renovations. These schools
were also smaller than those we build now, and public policy dictates that larger, newer schools
can better educate students than older and smaller schools.
School consolidation is another contributing factor to these closures. Two or more
student bodies can be combined to form one large school for a district, often for anticipated
economic or educational benefit or simply because declining school enrollment or performance
makes it the only option. This new student body may occupy one of the old buildings, leaving
12
"12 Economic Benefits of Historic Preservation." National Trust for Historic Preservation, (2011).
13
David Anstrand, Well Constructed Buildings Can Last Indefinitely With Systematic Renovations, in Renovate
or Replace?, ed. Thomas Hylton (Pennsylvania: Save Our Lands, Save Our Towns), 6.
14
National Center for Education Statistics, "How Old Are America's Public Schools?" Last modified January 1999,
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/frss/publications/1999048/.
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another vacant, or it may move to an entirely new building on neutral ground, often outside the
community. Frequently cited are suggestions that large newly constructed schools can offer a
more diverse curriculum and better infrastructure, while providing cost savings and better
efficiency. 15 Unfortunately, in order to build a larger school the new site must be in an area that
can offer more land and zoning options; this means they are often moved out of the community.
The old school buildings are left to further degrade, considered too small to continue as schools
and too large to pose an easy solution for a new use.
Why it Matters
Although there are many reasons listed that lead to the abandonment and demolition of
historic schools, there are many more reasons they are worth preserving. Historic schools serve
as anchors for the living memory of their community. Many of them have been operating in their
neighborhoods for as long as, or longer than, their residents have been living there. They define
their neighborhoods, foster pride in their community, and help people connect with one another
in an isolated suburban age because they serve as community centers, hosting events after school
hours and on weekends.
Historic neighborhood schools are important to the health, identity, and revitalization of a
community. In recent years the Pennsylvania Historic Schools Task Force has been studying the
states historic schools and published a booklet of reports supporting their reuse. The task force
represented several state agencies and non-profit organizations, such as Pennsylvanias
Department of Education, Historical and Museum Commission, and the School Board
Association. In this report, former Secretary of Education Dr. Gerald Zahorchak stated, Older
schools located in established neighborhoods offer easy accessibility for students to walk or bike
15
Daniel L. Duke and Sara Trautvetter. "Reducing the Negative Effects of Large Schools." National Clearinghouse
for Educational Publications. (2009). http://www.ncef.org/pubs/size3.html.
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to school, rather than having them be driven by their parents or bused to a school far away. 16
Historic schools are often located in or near residential areas where many students can easily
reach them on foot; a neighborhood location promotes community well-being. When new
schools are built outside these small towns and neighborhoods they use acres of open land and
pull vital business from small towns. Pennsylvanias historic cities, towns, and neighborhoods
have been experiencing a sharp loss in population that is due, in part, to their schools being
moved into farmland and similar open space outside city limits. Those that live outside the
immediate area of the school no longer have a daily reason to frequent that area, while those that
lived near the school while it was open may choose to move their families closer to the new
school. Neighborhood schools can help keep residents and businesses in small communities that
would collapse without the economic and social support. 17 While this is important to the
community it is also important in conserving land and funds. Some rehabilitations could cost up
to 12% less than new construction, even less for an average or small restoration, and keep
undeveloped land available for other use. 18
The myriad of reasons that historic school buildings are closed can be the same ones that
prevent them from being reused in their original capacity. Almost invariably, a new purpose
must be found for these buildings, so their owners turn to adaptive reuse to return them to
functionality. This can become problematic, first in retaining the historic aesthetic value of a
school while finding a use that will perpetuate that connection between the community and
school. A second problem lies in ensuring the project is more cost efficient than demolition. The
following chapter explores ways that both of these problems, and others, can be addressed.
16
Gerald Zahorchak, Many Older Schools Can be Renovated to 21st Century Standards in Renovate or Replace?,
ed. Thomas Hylton (Pennsylvania: Save Our Lands, Save Our Towns), 6.
17
Dennis Yablonsky, Renovating Older Schools Can Help Conserve Resources, Revitalize Older Communities. in
Renovate or Replace?, ed. Thomas Hylton (Pennsylvania: Save Our Lands, Save Our Towns), 6.
18
"12 Economic Benefits of Historic Preservation." National Trust for Historic Preservation. (2011).
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Maintaining a Closed School
The National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities published a guide for closing a
school building in 2010 that discusses how to complete a school closing effectively and
efficiently. The section regarding maintaining a newly closed building is especially informative
for this thesis. Correctly maintaining an empty building is important because it ensures that when
an interested party seeks to reopen it for any reason the process can be quickly and easily
completed. Included in their recommendations is the following checklist:
Check exterior for open or broken windows and any sign of damage. Any
damage should be repaired immediately.
Check interior for water leaks and correct any that are found immediately.
Check for graffiti and remove any found within 24 hours.
Pick up trash or broken glass as needed.
Establish regular schedules for grass cutting in the spring, summer, and
fall, and snow removal during winter months.
During the heating season, check boilers, pumps, air compressors, and
other heating related equipment. Record appropriate information
depending on whether equipment is hot water or steam.
Check [playground] weekly (if applicable) tighten bolts, etc. as required.
Check fire extinguishers monthly.
Flush toilets and pour water down all drains as needed.
Grease and oil motors and pumps that are used as needed. 19
By completing repairs and maintenance, even when a building is empty, less money will
be spent when it is reopened and it will not decrease property values or create crime in the
surrounding neighborhood, making it more attractive to potential investors. Maintaining a vacant
school building prepares it for possible reuse and is crucial to ensuring that it will not become an
abandoned school building.
19
Edward McMilan, Closing A School Building: A Systematic Approach, (Washington, DC: National
Clearinghouse for Education Facilities, 2010), 6.
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Chapter 2: Adaptive Reuse and School Buildings
As has been established, when a historic school is shut down, the surrounding community
can lose a part of the stories and the identities that define it. Although the original function of the
school is gone, the building itself remains and can sit empty for months or years before it is
demolished, purposefully or by neglect. The best adaptive reuse project seeks to revitalize a
buildings tie to the residents and preserve the history of the original connection through a new
appropriate function. In his essay for The Economics of Uniqueness entitled Heritage
Economics: A Conceptual Framework, David Throsby defines adaptive reuse as ensuring the
continuity of use through minimal changes to the asset. 20 By placing a similar anchoring
element in the void that was created by a schools loss, an adaptive reuse project can invest in
and benefit the public. This allows the building to continue to serve the community in a different
capacity and still keep as much of its historic fabric as possible.
Adaptive Reuse
If it is clear that a historic school can no longer serve in its original capacity, the only
alternative to its demolition is to adaptively reuse it. This approach, of course, is not without
roadblocks. When working with a historic building it can be difficult to ensure its historic fabric
is kept while still adapting it to an efficient, modern use. For instance, Martin Rama in his essay
Investing in the Sense of Place: The Economics of Urban Upgrading Projects with a Cultural
Dimension, uses the example of an owner who wishes to have more stories added to a historic
building. He may not be able to do so because historic buildings often date from a time when it
was not possible to build more than a few stories above ground; the building would not be able to
support it. This would be an inconvenience to the owner, who would have to adjust his business
20
David Throsby, Heritage Economics: A Conceptual Framework, in The Economics of Uniqueness.
(Washington, DC: The World Bank. 2012), 58.
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plan to accommodate fewer square feet. However, buildings with historic architectural character
are often appraised higher than modern buildings. While he may be tempted to demolish the
building in favor of putting up a larger new one, it may be in his best interest to capitalize on the
historic nature of the existing building instead. 21
The misconception that school buildings are functionally obsolete is a contributing factor
to why they sit empty for so long. It is assumed that these buildings wear out and become
useless, but in truth they do not wear out, they only wear down. Smaller building elements may
need to be repaired or replaced over the course of time, but the structural elements such as walls,
floors, and foundations may never need more than the occasional repair. In the words of David
Anstrand, architect and Board Member for the Council of Educational Facility Planners
International, A well-constructed school building can last indefinitely with good maintenance
and a major renovation every 20 to 30 years. 22 Furthermore, schools built before World War II,
or prewar schools such as the ones this thesis features, are primarily sturdy with thick walls that
today are considered overdesigned in structural capacity. Due to their construction, they have
withstood decades of heavy use and many still require less cost and effort to maintain than new
schools that are built with cheaper materials and inferior construction techniques. 23
Donovan Rypkema, principal of PlaceEconomics, is known for championing adaptive
reuse of historic buildings. In an article for Architectural Record he addresses common myths
investors often have regarding rehabilitation and lists facts about its benefits. He refutes the
statement that rehabilitation costs more than new construction, affirming instead that a major
21
Martin Rama, Investing in the Sense of Place: The Economics of Urban Upgrading Projects with a Cultural
Dimension, in The Economics of Uniqueness, ed. Guido Licciardi and Rana Amirtahmasebi (Washington, DC: The
World Bank, 2012), 2728.
22
David Anstrand, Well Constructed Buildings Can Last Indefinitely With Systematic Renovations, in Renovate
or Replace?, ed. Thomas Hylton (Pennsylvania: Save Our Lands, Save Our Towns), 6.
23
Ibid.
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rehabilitation with no existing building demolition will still save 4% on average over new
construction. If the new construction requires demolition of the existing building, the savings
from rehabilitation could be as much as 16%. A minor restoration might save 50% of the cost of
a new construction. Reusing existing elements like plumbing or windows ensures that savings
will be higher. He points out that components that are least likely to be costly in rehabilitation
are the foundation, superstructure, exterior envelope, and roof, all components that are most
likely to be structurally sound depending upon the care taken during the buildings life.
Another commonly held belief is that rehabilitation projects take longer than new
construction; Rypkema refutes this as well. New construction can take up to 18% longer than
rehabilitating an existing structure. 24 Following this line of thought, it is more immediately
feasible to rehabilitate a building for reuse so that it may be put into its new function as soon as
possible.
The concept of functional obsolescence, defined as a decrease in value due to
inadequacies often caused by age or poor design, is often cited as a reason not to reuse because it
seemingly makes historic buildings ineffective for modern use. According to Rypkema, in this
case it is not the building that falls short, but the proposed plan. A planned use for a building that
calls for massive restructuring of its basic features is not suited to the building and should be
reevaluated.
Adapting for Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency and environmental impact are also at the forefront of the debate. While
preservationists champion the phrase the greenest building is one already built, the other side
of the argument sees old buildings as inefficient because of their drafty windows and ancient
24
Donovan Rypkema, "Making Renovation Feasible," Architectural Record (1992): 26.
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heating and cooling systems. However, many historic school layouts are well matched to green
rehabilitation plans. They are typically compact and multistoried, with high ceilings to hide
ductwork and large openings that allow in natural daylight. 25 The Greenest Building, a report
published by Preservation Green Lab for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, compared
two similar buildings, one renovated and one newly built, to determine which had more efficient
energy use. Specifically applicable to this thesis, they compared a newly constructed elementary
school with a recently renovated school. The first, Sue Buel Elementary in McMinnville,
Oregon, was built in 2008, while the second, Central Elementary in Albemarle, North Carolina,
was built in 1924 and renovated in 2008. They are comparable in size and construction; Sue Buel
is a two-story slab-on-grade concrete construction and Central is a three-story concrete and steel
construction. They have a 24% and 22% window-to-wall (glazing) ratio, respectively. 26 The
studys results were compiled into three sections. The first indicated that renovating and reusing
a school building would yield fewer negative environmental impacts than demolition and new
construction over a 75-year period. 27 The second section found that reuse produced a more
immediate carbon savings than new construction, even when compared to more energy efficient,
new buildings. 28 Last, the study shows that the materials used are important and will impact its
reuse benefits; if a large quantity of material is replaced or the wrong kind of material is used it
can even cancel out benefits. They also did a study to see how long it would take a new energy-
efficient building to overcome the negative impact of construction. The study found as follows:
[I]t takes 10 to 80 years for a new building that is 30 percent more efficient than an average-
25
Anstrand, 6.
26
The Greenest Building, National Trust for Historic Preservation, (Preservation Green Lab. 2011) 58.
27
Ibid., 61
28
Ibid., 72
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performing existing building to overcome, through efficient operations, the negative climate
change impacts related to construction. 29
In 1998 the LEED program was released by the US Green Building Council that was
intended to change the way buildings and communities were designed, built, and operated,
enabling them to be more energy efficient. This program applies both to new construction and
existing buildings undergoing a renovation. 30 LEED recognition has four levels that are reached
through a point system; the highest of these is platinum, followed by gold, silver, and certified.
Points are awarded toward the levels for each of the following categories that a project complies
with:
1. Sustainable Site
2. Water Efficiency
3. Energy and Atmosphere
4. Material and Resources
5. Indoor Environment Quality
6. Innovation and Design Process 31
The sustainable Preservation Coalition advises the USGBC on ways to include
preservation in LEED since 2006. Preservation projects have frequently received certification at
all levels since the programs inception, but it has become easier to attain with the addition of
new preservation-related point criteria. 32 LEED for Existing Buildings was created specifically
for buildings undergoing renovations. The majority of the requirements for this program address
building maintenance and operations. In this way it differs from the other LEED certification
systems because it is meant to ensure performance and energy efficiency for the duration of the
buildings life, rather than initiating this efficiency as the building is being constructed. The
29
Ibid., 76
30
Barbara A. Campagna, "How Changes To LEED Will Benefit Exiting And Historic Buildings," Forum News, XV,
no. 2 (2008): 1, http://www.preservationnation.org/information-center/sustainable-communities/additional-
resources/Forum-News-Campagna.pdf (accessed May 2013).
31
Ibid
32
Ibid, 2
Hamilton|16
building must be in operation for a year before it is eligible for certification, meaning that a
renovation must be mindful of the criteria for eligibility even before it can begin the process. The
USGBC recommends the following steps be taken to ensure a smooth process: 33
1. Review the LEED rating system to assess credit potential

2. Set your target certification level: Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum
3. Assess what equipment will need upgrades
4. Assign responsibility for credits and for writing green policies
5. Make a budget
6. Create a timeline to optimize work and process flow
7. Register project to take advantage of USGBC resources
Although there are no direct financial incentives to pursue LEED certification, there are
many cities and states that offer tax rebates, zoning allowances, and other rewards to receiving
certification. The real advantages to being certified are subtler lower operating costs, higher
property values, and the high regard attached to LEED are often themselves considered the
reward.
In addition to the benefits of being LEED certified, there are different avenues of funding
available to historic property owners and investors, such as tax credits and preservation-related
financing.
Financial Assistance
One of the biggest financial benefits of adaptive reuse is the fact that it seeks to reuse as
much of the original material as possible. Any reuse project, especially one seeking funding from
historic preservation tax credits, will require that the historic structure and character of the
building remain intact. This reduces demolition, new construction, and new material costs.
Unfortunately, this alone is not always enough to make an adaptive reuse project feasible.
33
U.S. Green Building Council, "LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance."
http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/Archive/General/Docs3353.pdf. (accessed May 2013).
Hamilton|17
The Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program is one of the most successful
community revitalization programs in the country and is widely used to make preservation
projects more affordable. Since 1976, it has privately invested over $62 billion to preserve more
than 38,000 historic properties through administration by the National Park Service (NPS), the
Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPO). 34 It offers two
levels of federal tax credits to lower the amount of income tax owed 20% and 10% with
different requirements for each.
The 20% tax credit is available only for historic, income-producing buildings. The IRS
must approve which expenses can be applied to the credit; there are several criteria that must be
met for their approval. First, the property must be income producing, as stated before. Second,
the rehabilitation must exceed either $5,000 or the adjusted basis of the building. The adjusted
basis is the purchase price minus the cost of the land and depreciation, plus the value of any
improvements already made. 35 The property must also be a certified historic structure
undergoing a certified rehabilitation. This means the property must be listed in the National
Register of Historic Places, either individually or as a contributing building in a National
Register historic district, or as a contributing building within a local historic district that has been
certified by the Department of the Interior. The National Park Service must approve the project
as being consistent with the historic character of the property. 36 There are typically about 1000
rehabilitation projects approved for this credit annually.
The 10% tax credit is available to buildings built before 1936 that are non-historic,
meaning they have no historical significance outside of their age. The building must be
34
National Park Service, "Tax Incentives for Preserving Historic Properties," http://www.nps.gov/tps/tax-
incentives.htm (Accessed Nov 3, 2012)
35
Historic Preservation Tax Incentives, National Park Service and U.S. Department of the Interior, published by
Technical Preservation Services.
36
Ibid
Hamilton|18
rehabilitated for non-residential use, but does not need to be listed in the National Register or
contributing building in a historic district. This credit requires that rehabilitation plans for the
building meet the following three criteria before being approved:
At least 50% of the existing external walls must remain in place as external walls,
at least 75% of the existing external walls must remain in place as either external
or internal walls, and at least 75% of the internal structural framework must
remain in place. 37
The same IRS requirements apply to these properties as well; they must be income-
producing and the rehabilitation must be substantial. These two tax credits are mutually
exclusive, but there are other tax incentives available that can be combined with either one. The
IRS provides income and estate tax deductions for charitable contributions of partial interests in
historic property, which generally refers to easements. In most cases this denotes a faade
easement that preserves the entire exterior of the property and prevents any changes that would
alter its historic character. The easement requires a written document signed by both the donor
and the organization receiving the contribution. 38 Generally, the organization will be a party that
has some stake in the historical assets of the property, such as a local historical society. The IRS
will also provide tax credits for a rehabilitation intended as low-income housing; this usually
amounts to about 9% per year for ten years. Each unit must be rent controlled and inhabited by
individuals living below the areas median gross income. There is a fifteen-year compliance
period during which all requirements must be met. 39
Each state also has its own varying financial incentives. For example, West Virginia, for
renovations of buildings that will continue as schools, will provide up to 65% of what it would
37
National Park Service, "Tax Incentives for Preserving Historic Properties," http://www.nps.gov/tps/tax-
incentives.htm (Accessed Nov 3, 2012).
38
Historic Preservation Tax Incentives, National Park Service and U.S. Department of the Interior, published by
39
Ibid.
Hamilton|19
have cost to replace the school and funds a Major Improvement Project grant that awards
between $50,000 and $500,000. 40 The state also provides a 10% state tax credit additional to the
20% tax credit offered by the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program. The project
must meet all the same criteria as laid down by the NPS and IRS. 41 The U.S. Department of
Agriculture Rural Development will occasionally provide financial support for historic
rehabilitation projects in West Virginia, such as the adaptive reuse of the Clendenin School in
Clendenin, West Virginia.
Funding from local citizens and businesses is necessary to the feasibility of most projects;
local preservation organizations, businesses, banks, and private citizens will sometimes offer
financial support. The case studies in this thesis highlight the local assistance associated with the
high value these neighborhood schools have within their community.
40
State Policies for School Construction and Renovation, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2003, page 75.
41
West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Rehabilitation Tax Credits- Income Producing,
http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/tccomm.html.
Hamilton|20
Chapter 3: Case Studies
This chapter examines eight historic school buildings that were closed and vacated, with
the exception of McDonald High School, which remained open and continued as a school. It
discusses the causes of their closure, the choices made between demolition, rehabilitation, and
adaptive reuse and how that choice impacted the surrounding residents. Those that were given a
new function or continued as a school are ideal; they fulfilled a community need while retaining
its tie to the history of the building. Those that were demolished were done so to serve the
community another way, but this lead to the destruction of a part of their heritage that is
irreplaceable.
The criteria for choosing the case studies for this thesis was first and foremost that they
be similar in size and location to the Central Junior High in Bluefield, West Virginia and that
they be equally historic. Central was built in 1911; case studies needed to be of buildings that
were of a similar age (over fifty years old, preferably built in the 1940s or earlier). The town of
Bluefield is home to 10,482 people according to the 2010 census, so the case studies needed to
be in towns of similar size.
Case studies were limited to school buildings between 6000 and 13,000 square feet. This
range was chosen to ensure that the size would be applicable to Central Junior High (13,000
square feet and four stories tall). Smaller schools of about 6000 square feet were included
because the classroom space alone in Central is estimated to be equivalent and many schools do
not house gymnasiums or auditoriums within their main building. Case studies above or below
this range were not considered because they would not provide a helpful parallel.
Outside of the more quantifiable requirements for these case studies there were certain
criteria that were more difficult to define. Each school also needed to be important to the
Hamilton|21
neighborhood and surrounding community they were associated with. The best way to measure
their importance was to see if their communities had fought for them after they were closed and
determine whether they had served as hubs of social activity or the only elementary or high
school for the immediate region.
Charleston High School
One such case of a lost historic school building is Charleston High School, in Charleston,
West Virginia. This school was demolished in 1989 to make room for a new hospital, now
operating as Charleston Area Medical Center. Charleston High School was built in 1926 on the
outskirts of downtown Charleston. It served as the main high school in the metropolitan area
until the student body was consolidated with the much smaller Stonewall High and became
Capital High School. The new building was constructed five miles north on the outskirts of the
city. 42 The building was demolished not long after and construction began on the new hospital
that now occupies the entire block where the school once stood. With the school now five miles
outside of the city, the local traffic from students and their families declined sharply, and many
small businesses that had been operating in the community for decades had to close, such as
Kourys Sweet Shop and Duchess Bakery. Students, their parents, and school faculty and staff
had frequented these places and the family-run businesses depended on them to survive. 43
Ironton High School
Ironton High School in Ironton, Ohio, was built in 1922. It had a two-tiered auditorium,
greenhouse, indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, cafeteria, and its own library incorporated in
the same massive structure. In 1926 a 3,112-seat stadium was built on the campus; it was one of
42
"Exhibit Section: Charleston High School." The West Virginia Encyclopedia.
http://www.wvencyclopedia.org/sections/276 (accessed October 24, 2012).
43
"Charleston High School." My West Virginia Home In Photos. http://www.mywvhome.com/old/chs.htm
(accessed October 24, 2012).
Hamilton|22
the first covered stadiums in Ohio and was placed on the National Register, while the school
itself was not. In the 1940s the pool was converted to another small gymnasium, and in 1975 an
entirely new gym was built on as an extension. Despite the expansive facilities this school
boasted, it was dire need of repair. The school board determined it would take too much time,
effort, and money to renovate; Ironton was closed and torn down in 2007. The central faade was
the only part of the building to survive because of an agreement with the Ironton Board of
Education to save that feature as well as the auditorium wing if a new school was built in the
same spot. A group called Save Our School formed early on in the discussion to demolish
Ironton High in an attempt to protect the character-defining features of the building, but
dissolved once they reached the agreement with the board. 44 Another high school was planned
and built on the very same site a few years later. 45
Ironton High School is an unfortunate example of what can happen when a historic
school building is not valued over new construction. While its demolition filled the need in the
community for an updated school building, the community lost that part of their cultural heritage
and history. Fortunately, not all school buildings are demolished for replacement.
McDonald High School
Although this thesis focuses chiefly on those school buildings that cannot continue in
their original capacity, it is certainly possible to rehabilitate a historic school building to continue
serving as a school, as was done with McDonald High School in McDonald, Ohio. The Carnegie
Steel Company founded the town in 1909 around a new steel mill. The high school was opened
in 1926 as the town grew. In 1980 the mill was downsized and the towns population dropped. In
44
"Group Endorses Ironton School Levy." Ironton Tribune, December 28, 2003.
http://www.irontontribune.com/2005/12/29/group-endorses-ironton-school-levy/
45
Sherman Cahal, "Ironton High School." ABANDONED. http://www.abandonedonline.net/schools/ironton-high-
school/
Hamilton|23
1998, the school failed safety and ADA requirements, and with dwindling attendance there was
little funding for needed repairs. The subsequent $7,000,000 renovation project had 88% funding
from the state of Ohio and 12% local funding. The students were rotated out of the building in
thirds and relocated to a vacant church within walking distance while the school was
rehabilitated in sections. The cost for the use of the church was $23,000, much less than renting
modular units during the project. All of the unique architectural elements were preserved,
including decorative ceilings, ceramic tile floors, historic woodwork, and even the ceramic pool
in the basement. The interior structure was reconfigured to create larger classrooms, new science
labs, art and music rooms, and a student commons. 46
Notre Dame Academy
Built by William Jenson in 1915, the Notre Dame Academy in Cleveland, Ohio, is an
excellent example of the Collegiate Gothic Revival style and was designed to compliment the
style of Rockefeller Park nearby. 47 Until 1964 this all-girls school was a vital part of the
Glenville Neighborhood of Cleveland, but due to population decline and increased poverty in the
area, as well as a lack of investment in the school, it was closed down and quickly began to
deteriorate. It sat vacant until the Sisters of Notre Dame sold it to the Cleveland Board of
Education and converted it into the Lulu Diehl Junior High School. Unfortunately, this school
closed as well in 1978 and the building was again abandoned. Although the city tried to attract
investors over the years and entered it into the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, it sat
vacant and open to decay and vandalism until 1995 when the Famicos Foundation took notice of
46
Heritage Ohio, Success Stories: Historic Schools, McDonald High School,
http://www.heritageohio.org/resources/preservation-knowledge-base/historic-preservation-organizations/building-
specific-preservation-organizationsresources/success-stories-ohio-schools/.
47
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, "Famicos Foundation for the Notre Dame Academy,
Cleveland, Ohio." Accessed November 3, 2012. http://www.huduser.org/portal/research/histwin2001.html.
Hamilton|24
it. 48 The Foundation recognized its historic value and made its rehabilitation the keystone project
of their Rockefeller Park Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy. They believed that the success
of this strategy was contingent upon redeveloping the Notre Dame Academy. 49 Their plan for the
Academy adapted the spacious interior into 73 affordable apartments for the elderly and fully
restored its exterior. Although the building had been damaged by years of neglect and vandalism
the most important architectural details, both outside and inside, still remained. The exteriors
decorative characteristics were restored to their original grandeur, and the beautiful pink marble
flooring in the central corridor, highly decorated columns, and vaulted ceilings inside were kept
and incorporated into the new floor plan. This project not only saved a historic school, but also
helped revitalize the entire neighborhood and created high-quality housing for low-income
seniors.
Our Lady of Victory Convent And Boarding School
The Our Lady of Victory Convent and boarding school for girls, very similar to the Notre
Dame Academy, was built in 1909 on prairie land three miles south of Forth Worth, Texas. This
building is also Collegiate Gothic Revival, made of red brick with white limestone trim and
encompassing about 70,000 square feet. It was occupied by the Order of the Sister and Saint
Mary of Namur, but changing needs, organizational mission and an aging membership caused
them to abandon the building. Five years later the Order secured a permit to have it demolished,
which pressed a group of community volunteers to form Historic Landmarks, Inc, or HLI. They
acquired the building a week before it was set to be demolished and worked with the community
for the next two years to develop an adaptive reuse plan for the property. They eventually
48
"Famicos Notre Dame Building: Roman Catholic Notre Dame Academy - Cleveland, OH." National Trust for
Historic Preservation. http://www.preservationnation.org/resources/case-studies/historic-houses-of-worship/famicos-
notre-dame-academy.html.
49
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, "Famicos Foundation for the Notre Dame Academy,
Cleveland, Ohio." http://www.huduser.org/portal/research/histwin2001.html.
Hamilton|25
adopted a plan to rehab the building into an artists space called the Victory Arts Center, after the
original name of the convent. The arts center is now entirely dedicated to residential and studio
space for artists with a focus on lower-income tenants. The original classrooms were converted
into 46 loft apartments with studios, and the chapel became a performing arts space and retains
the original vaulted ceilings and hardwood floors. The defining characteristics of the exterior
were saved as well. Victory Arts Center opened its doors in 2004 and that same year became a
City of Fort Worth Landmark and was listed on the National Register. 50
Buffalo School
In small rural towns like Buffalo, Kentucky, with a median income of about $32,000 and
fewer than 1,500 residents, 51 school consolidation is standard and has left many sparsely
populated towns with their treasured school buildings abandoned in their midst. Such is the case
with Buffalo School, an excellent example of an adaptive reuse project that overcame multiple
obstacles to meet a community need as well as save a historic school building.
The WPA built Buffalo School in 1936 on the site of an earlier building from 1874 that
had housed a small college and later a K-12 school. 52 The one story, steel-framed building, 53 is
located only a few miles from where Abraham Lincoln was born, a fact that contributes to the
communitys pride in their identity. The original gym, built around 1900, has always been the
venue for athletics and social gatherings in the community. When the school board could no
longer afford repairs and maintenance for the gym, private citizens offered materials and labor to
complete repairs and keep the building in use. Unfortunately, in 2007 the school was
50
"Victory Arts Center." National Trust for Historic Preservation,
http://www.preservationnation.org/resources/case-studies/loan-funds/victory-arts-center.html.
51
Johan Graham, "Kentucky Reuse Project Has Big Impact in Small Town," Preservation Leadership Forum
(2011), http://www.preservationnation.org/forum/library/public-articles/kentucky-reuse-project-has.html.
52
Ibid.
53
Kentucky Housing Corporation, "Buffalo School Apartments." http://www.kyhousing.org/page.aspx?id=3582.
Hamilton|26
consolidated and both it and the gym were left vacant. The following spring, Amy Sparrow Potts,
the Rural Heritage Director for Preservation Kentucky, contacted AU Associates in Lexington,
KY, to see if they might be interested in the school as an adaptive reuse project. A market study
funded by the National Trust for Historic Preservation determined there was a market for up to
twenty units of affordable senior housing. The National Trust also agreed to fund the National
Register nomination, and in the summer of 2008 AU Associates and Preservation Kentucky
began the long road to Buffalo Schools reuse. 54
AU Associates hired Erin Riney to complete the register nomination. Through interviews
with residents and research into the history of the town and the school, she established that
Buffalo was a school town that relied heavily on Buffalo School for much of its educational
and community functions. As demonstrated with the schools gym, the residents of Buffalo
placed a great deal of value on the building and saw it as an irreplaceable piece of their heritage.
She found that many people feared that the closure of the school meant the end of the small
community, as it was largest building in the town and had once been the most important.
Because it acted as an anchor to the small community, many believed that residents, such as
teachers and students families, would leave Buffalo to be closer to the new school. With this
research, Ms. Riney was able to list the Buffalo School on the National Register in 2008 for its
historic contribution to the area as a center of community activity. 55
In October 2008 a proposal was submitted to the Kentucky Housing Corporation for a
nineteen-unit seniors affordable housing development in the school building. The project was
ready to break ground at any moment when the proposal was rejected. It was five points short of
the score needed to ensure its immediate funding and was dropped to the first application on a
54
Johan Graham, "Kentucky Reuse Project Has Big Impact in Small Town," Preservation Leadership Forum
(2011), http://www.preservationnation.org/forum/library/public-articles/kentucky-reuse-project-has.html.
55
Ibid.
Hamilton|27
waitlist. The scoring process requires that a project meet a certain number of points in three
categories Development Team, Project Design, and Financial Design totaling 360 points in
all. Points are added or detracted for things such as past compliance issues with members of the
development team, neighborhood renewal efforts, and funding commitments from outside
parties. When other projects that had been accepted were delayed the application for Buffalo
School Apartments was revisited. The project had the advantage of being completely prepared to
move forward at any moment and in November 2009, with community support and funding from
a local bank, Kentucky Housing finally accepted the application. Development began
immediately and fourteen months later the entire project was completed and put into use ahead
of schedule. 56
The reuse project used State and Federal Historic Tax Credits, Low-Income Housing Tax
Credits, and stimulus funding from the state government. The grand opening event drew more
than two hundred attendees, many of whom were previous Buffalo School principals, teachers,
and students. The selling point of the rehabilitation is the treatment of the historic material. The
original hardwood floors, hidden for decades, were exposed throughout the building and the
original high ceilings and arches were left intact. Each apartment features traditional locally
made cabinetry. Gathering space was made a priority in the redesign by including a community
room inside as well a large courtyard outside, meant for the residents and their visitors. The
courtyard is equipped with grills, a gazebo, benches and tables, and even art easels. The
apartments are designed to remain affordable by keeping rent around $325 per month. 57
In rural communities like Buffalo, large-scale construction is often impractical or
impossible, while reusing Buffalo School to serve a specific need saved the building and
56
Ibid.
57
Ibid.
Hamilton|28
provided affordable senior housing in a rural area that otherwise may not have seen it. The
Buffalo School was exceptionally significant to Buffalos community members. Their cultural
heritage, way of life, and even the population depended on the school while it was open, and
were all threatened when it was closed. By reusing the building it is able to remain an anchor to
the towns memory and identity and now houses the very people who once taught and learned
within its walls.
Hodge School
Hodge School, originally Hodge Elementary School, was constructed in 1905 with two
additions in 1911 and 1912. Cleveland school architect Frank Barnum designed the original two-
story building with masonry construction around steel beams, a popular fireproofing technique
for the time. His design uses natural lighting from floor-to-ceiling classroom windows, skylights,
and glass insets into the brick floors. The original building and the two additions are 44,000
square feet and sit on a two-acre site. 58
Hodge School is located in the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood of Cleveland, which is
mostly residential and only a few blocks from the main commercial corridor. Like many of
Clevelands neighborhoods, everything from the population to the employment rates in the St.
Clair-Superior neighborhood has decreased since the 1960s. Between 1978 and 1980 the
Cleveland Board of Education closed forty-seven elementary schools due to the decreasing
population and budget-cuts; the Hodge School was one of the last three to be closed in 1980 due
to a decrease in students. Like Buffalo School in Kentucky, Hodge was considered an important
piece of the surrounding community. In 1985, shortly after another abandoned school in the
neighborhood was burned to the ground by arsonists, residents began to complain to the board of
58
Daniel Carlson, Reusing America's Schools: A Guide for Local Officials, Developers, Neighborhood Residents,
Planners, and Preservationists, (Preservation Press, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1991). 23-25
Hamilton|29
education that something be done with the school building. The community worried that the
same could happen to Hodge, and when their complaints went unheard they sought help from the
St. Clair-Superior Coalition (SCSC). As a non-profit advocacy organization, they were often
involved in community-building activities dealing with rehabilitation, street crime, and
employment. They put together a committee of twenty local residents to survey the community
and make a decision on whether the building should be reused or torn down. The majority vote
of the three hundred surveyed residents came out strongly in favor of reuse. 59
In 1986 SCSC obtained funding from two area banks to complete a feasibility study and
structural assessment. After determining the building was sound, they created a two-part plan.
The first phase of the reuse project would rehabilitate the 1911 and 1912 annexes into a
childrens day care facility as the anchor tenant. The second phase would rehabilitate the rest of
the property as mixed-use space. The cost was estimated to be between $1 million and $1.2
million. Although SCSC did not have experience in development or construction, they had
experience in raising funds. By the time they had the cost estimate, there were several groups
that were interested in supporting the project. The Local Initiative Support Corporation, city of
Cleveland, Ameritrust Development Bank, and multiple foundations were all ready to support
the effort in full. Although there was sufficient funding, SCSC intended to find a co-developer
that had the needed construction experience. It soon became clear that the Hodge redevelopment
would not yield enough of a return to convince potential partners to invest. In 1988 SCSC
decided they would have to develop the school building alone and would have to adapt the plan
to do so.
59
Ibid.
Hamilton|30
After conducting new market studies and receiving a new estimate for the cost ($1.2
million as before), SCSC settled on a new plan for artists housing. When they announced the
availability of the new housing, they received over sixty inquiries from interested Cleveland
artists. The project had backing from Clevelands Economic Development Department, who
believed it would spark the redevelopment of the neighborhood. They made two loans from a
Neighborhood Development Impact Grant and the Small Business Revolving Loan Fund for a
total of $320,000. Ameritrust, LISC, and the Cleveland Foundation made mortgages available at
reduced rates. With another $440,000 from government grants and some of the same foundations
that had agreed to support the original project, the new reuse plan was funded completely. The
financing and operating costs would be covered by rent for the thirty-eight units, which SCSC
first set between $100 and $450.
Hodge School Artist Housing now serves the city of Cleveland as artist housing and work
spaces. It has thirty-two single units at 750 square feet, four double units at 1500 square feet, and
two mini units at 400 square feet. Although SCSC was not able to make their original plan
possible, reworking the plan according to market studies put development back on track and
helped them obtain full funding through grants and loans. Decades later, Hodge is a thriving
artists community, with rent still kept low at $320 to $605. The interior is open, with wide, tall
hallways and loft-style apartments, some of which still have the original blackboards and coat
closets. The project is now cited as a model for other area schools in danger of demolition and is
a point of pride in the surrounding neighborhood. 60
60
Hamilton|31
Ravenswood High School
The Ravenswood High School project is one of few documented failures of adaptive
reuse plans using former school buildings. In this case, the school building, and subsequently the
communitys heritage, was ultimately lost, as was the need for the school within the community.
Ravenswood is the newest example, built in 1958 in East Palo Alto, and despite its
proximity to Palo Alto it has not enjoyed the same prosperity as its counterpart. 61, 62 East Palo
Alto has always been ethnically diverse with a struggling economy, referred to often as a
ghetto. The current population has shifted to about 64% Hispanic, 15% African American, and
7% Pacific Islander, but when Ravenswood High was closed in 1976, the unincorporated town
had a population of more than 80% African American. The lack of racial diversity within the
school was, in fact, partially responsible for its closure. In 1971 the student body began to lose
population and the district noticed that the school was becoming disproportionately African
American. Hoping to widen the demographics, it introduced a voluntary interschool-busing
program that gave more students the option to attend Ravenswood. While that worked for a
while, eventually the school saw a massive drop in attendance that corresponded with a drop in
the population of East Palo Alto as they moved to more prosperous communities. Finally the
school was closed in 1976, leaving the remaining students to be forced into one-way busing to
other schools. The loss of Ravenswood was devastating to the community. As one resident said
in an interview for the local paper, Closing Ravenswood was like putting a knife through our
heart. Ravenswood was an indispensable institution to the East Palo Alto community. It taught us
to be good people. Our kids weren't wanted at the other schools." 63 Upon its closure the district
61
Sequoia Alumni Network, "Ravenswood High School." http://ravenswood.sequoiaalumni.net/about_rhs.htm.
62
63
Hamilton|32
scrambled to find a use for Ravenswood that would keep the building occupied and still serve the
community. Between 1976 and 1984 the building was separated into units and leased out as a
day-care facility, senior center, and finally a printing office, all the while suffering regular
vandalism in occupied sections. In 1984 the last tenant moved out and the school district saw an
opportunity to sell the property for $3.6 million as light industry and recreation development.
Unfortunately, East Palo Alto had incorporated in 1983 and rezoned the Ravenswood site as
recreation and open space to take advantage of a California law called the Naylor Act that allows
public entities to buy up to 30% of vacant school sites for only a quarter of the property value.
After a series of court actions, the city, county, and school district came to an agreement in 1985.
The property was divided into three parcels and the whole site was sold to the city for $1.3
million to be made in payments over the next four years. Each parcel was zoned differently, for
institutional use, open space, and low- and moderate-income multifamily housing. Unfortunately,
the last payment, which the city made in 1990, was placed in escrow pending a development
agreement that the city would make for Parcel C, which was zoned for housing. Although the
city had several takers, the district sought even greater compensation, and rejected a settlement
offer made in excess of $1 million dollars. The school building remained mostly vacant, with
only a senior center as a tenant and two thirds of the property undeveloped. 64 In 1995
Ravenswood High was demolished so the site could be used for a new regional shopping
center. 65
Thirteen years after Ravenswood High School was closed, Palo Alto still waits for
another high school for their community. Their students are still being bused into outlying areas
64
65
Hamilton|33
and plans for a new school are gridlocked in politics. 66 The failure of this reuse project before it
was able to get off the ground is proof that these projects can be difficult to plan and manage,
especially when there are multiple parties in play that each have different needs and visions for
the property. It is also proof that a community helps to determine the success of a project
depending on how well it meets that communitys needs.
The following chapter presents recommendations for abandoned school buildings by
discussing Central Junior High. It is in need of an adaptive reuse project that will both save the
building and the communitys connection to it, and fill a need within the community through its
continued reuse. Without this, it is at risk of joining Charleston High School and Ravenswood
High School, with its use and history lost to the community.
66
Chris Kenrick, "East Palo Alto High-School Plan Splits Trustees," Palo Alto Online (2010),
http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=15208 (accessed ).
Hamilton|34
Chapter 4: Recommendations for the Adaptive Reuse of Historic Schools
Central Junior High
Central Junior High School in Bluefield, West Virginia, is an abandoned school
building that is at risk of demolition from neglect. Formerly called Beaver High School and now
referred to as Central Building, or Central Junior High, this massive solid brick construction
was built in 1911. (Fig. 1 & 2) With four floors, it is approximately 13,000 square feet. It was
built on a steep hillside into a bed of limestone, providing a solid foundation in what might
otherwise be a precarious location. Built in the traditional Collegiate Gothic style of architecture
common to late 19th and early 20th century school buildings, 67 the entire faade is brick and
painted Indiana limestone, with terracotta carvings. Some of the unique terracotta features are
life-size statues of a boy and girl flanking the school crest just below a castellated parapet wall.
(Fig. 3) The survival of these details is astonishing, considering their age and the disrepair the
building has suffered in recent years. Because of its remarkable framing, strong foundations, and
brick construction, Central has not only survived decades of neglect, but also a devastating fire in
1924. The fire started in the basement of the building, which was being used for storage. The
walls in the basement, which are five-feet thick in some areas, were built as fireproofs;
unfortunately, the superintendent saw the smoke and opened the door to the basement to
investigate. This caused a back draft from the surge of oxygen. He was not injured, but the
flames shot through the brick lined ventilation system, which spread the fire throughout the
entire building all the way to the roof deck. Fortunately, the all-brick envelope kept the flames to
67
Collegiate Gothic Style 1890-1940, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission,
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/late_19th___early_20th_century_revival_period/2390/coll
egiate_gothic_style/294789
Hamilton|35
the interior and 90% of the brick was saved. A $300,000 restoration effort was immediately
begun and the school was quickly returned to its original condition. 68
It served as Bluefields only high school until a new high school was built in 1953, and
then operated as Bluefield Central Junior High until it was closed and replaced by a new building
a few miles away, Bluefield Junior High School, in 1982. 69 The Board of Education was then left
with a large vacant building and no plans for its reuse. When some time had passed and little
interest was being shown, the Board of Education sold the building to a local scrap dealer for
$5,000. He immediately began to remove the historic features on the interior for resale; all of the
decorative friezes in the hallways and classrooms, most of the original radiators, many of the
classroom doors and removable door facings, laboratory tables, book shelves, electrical wiring,
the auditorium seats, and even some of the staircase railings were removed and resold or
destroyed. (Fig. 4) The city finally got involved when the neighborhood complained about the
damage to the sidewalks around the building from the radiators and other large fixtures being
thrown out of the windows. The building had remained open to the elements and was frequented
by vandals for about fifteen years before the city forced the owner to seal it. However, he did not
seal it properly, and with many of the windows jammed open or broken the water and animal
damage continued. The current owner, Lawrence Calfee, acquired the building in 2009 and it has
since enjoyed the safest period of its life since 1982. He is a resident of Bluefield, and grew up in
the area. Mr. Calfee had this to say about his work and the condition of the building when he
acquired it:
It is not adequate to say the inside of Central Junior High was shocking. I and
three other men, in full abatement suits and respirators, spent the next two and a
half weeks working twelve and fourteen-hour days filling countless trash bags.
68
Lawrence Calfee, (Building Owner), interview by Author, November 2012.
69
Bill Archer, City inspects outside stair support at old Beaver High, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, 2009.
http://bdtonline.com/cnhiwebservice/x241158497/City-inspects-outside-stair-support-at-old-Beaver-High/print.
Hamilton|36
Every hallway, floor of [the] rooms, and set of stairs were coated with more than
five inches of bird droppings. The auditorium was so full of debris and trash that I
could walk on top of it from the doorway to the stage at a steady gradual incline.
Among the bottom layer of trash were cardboard signs from the final school days
of 1982. I realized this building had not seen a broom for over twenty-seven
years. 70
The exterior of the building has little damage outside cracks in the brick, broken
windows, and damage to the entryway stairs on the northwest faade. (Fig. 5 & 6) The
foundations are secure, due in part to the placement of the building on a limestone rock. The
entire basement floor is poured concrete and shows no signs of cracking or wear. The load-
bearing walls are at least five feet thick in some places, with no cracking and are brick, poured
concrete, wood and plaster. While the plane of the roof is in fair condition, the area nearest the
parapet wall around the perimeter has been leaking for decades. Recent estimates have stated it
will cost about $80,000 to repair the entire roof. 71
A walk through the interior of the building revealed that, though aesthetic damage is
extensive, the majority of the structural damage is limited to the fourth floor. There is a
considerable amount of water damage on the interior, focused mostly on the upper floors. Open
windows that will not shut have allowed the elements in and the failing section of the roof has in
turn caused damage to portions of the interior ceilings. In some rooms on the fourth floor pieces
of the ceiling have fallen in, bringing wet debris down and causing the floor and the ceiling
below to fail. (Fig. 7) Mr. Calfee has done a great deal to remedy this by diverting and
containing any remaining water that enters the building, completing many repairs and continuing
to work on others.
The first floor of the building is dedicated to a sizable gymnasium and locker rooms.
(Fig. 8) The floor is narrow pine, original to the 1924 reconstruction. It is still in excellent shape,
70
Calfee, Lawrence. (Building Owner). Interview by Author, November 2012.
71
Ibid
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although it has been spray painted by vandals. The varnish is still present and could be stripped
and replaced to remove the spray paint and scratches. No gouges or missing boards were visible.
The second floor is all classroom space, with a T-shaped hallway and spacious rooms.
Lockers still line the walls in the hallway, showing their various layers of paint. (Fig. 9) The
materials on this floor are in fair condition, having been better protected from water damage than
the upper floors. The ceilings in the hallway are structurally sound and are only in need of small
repairs, but the floors in these classrooms are more damaged than in the gymnasium. (Fig. 10)
Some of the classrooms are being used for storage, and those floors are covered with plywood
for protection. The windows in each room are invariably in dire need of repair. Many panes are
broken or missing and almost all of them are covered to protect them from further vandalism.
The third floor includes classrooms at the back of the building and the auditorium at the
front, winged on either side by staircases to the fourth floor, which houses the balcony seating.
(Fig. 11 & 12) The floor of the auditorium gradually inclines from the stage to the south wall to
provide stadium seating and is in very good condition despite the layers of debris that once
covered it. The rows of seats were long ago removed, but holes from where they were attached to
floor and slight wear patterns show where they once sat. This room features the remaining
decorative features of the building and was most likely the most decorative to begin with. The
arch above the stage is rimmed in plaster molding with grapevine motifs. (Fig. 13) The ceilings
feature decorative lily pad plastering in a grid pattern. (Fig. 14) They are both in excellent
condition, with the majority of the damage centered in the southwest corner. The damage here is
severe, due to water pouring in from the roof just above. The plaster is down in this section, but
can be easily reproduced from the rest of the undamaged plaster. (Fig. 15) A piece of the
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damaged molding in this corner revealed that rope was used as the core inside the plaster. (Fig.
16)
The fourth floor is in the poorest condition because of the water damage from the leaking
roof. It houses classrooms and the large balcony over the auditorium. Two of the classrooms
toward the front of the building are in very poor condition. Water continually washes from the
roof into both rooms, but Mr. Calfee has installed a system to drain the water through PVC pipes
out of the windows and away from the faade. This has been sufficient to keep further water
damage from occurring, but previous damage destroyed large sections of ceiling and flooring.
The flooring especially is problematic in both rooms; it is not stable enough to walk across.
While some sections of the ceiling farthest away from the parapet may be salvageable it appears
that very little or none of the floor can be saved in either room. The balcony is in excellent
condition, with the only damage being to the ceiling above it.
Historic Neighborhood
While the majority of Central School building is structurally sound and overall in good
condition, the same cannot be said of the surrounding hillside neighborhood. (Fig. 17-19) An
account from a resident who had lived there for most of his life stated that the neighborhood had
once thrived. He cited the decline in Bluefields economy and the closure of the school as the
cause of the neighborhoods ruined condition. A short walk through the small quarter reveals that
over half of the homes are now abandoned like the school. Many appear to have been derelict
for decades, with collapsed roofs and detached porches, broken windows, and handwritten
condemned signs stapled to the front door. Of the remaining occupied homes there are few that
are well cared for aging residents cannot complete repairs themselves and cannot afford to hire
someone else. A few of the vacant homes are for sale and look as if they were only recently
Hamilton|39
deserted. As with many small towns in West Virginia, each home was built into the hillside on a
small lot. They appear to have built up around the school, possibly in the 1930s or 1940s. Below
the school is a small church that dates back to 1896, ten years after Bluefield was founded. Mr.
Calfee stated that this area would have been forested with only the church and school until the
post-war neighborhood began to grow. Many of the homes are Craftsman, American Foursquare,
or Gabled Front house styles. A handful of them feature a small, round, wooden ornament in the
center of a pediment, indicating they could have been built by the same person or developer, or
ordered from a common catalogue. They seem small from the front, but are narrow and deep to
accommodate small lots on steep ground. Most have basements cut into the hillside and each one
has a small front yard. A huge train yard is visible from the neighborhood, in the valley below
the community. (Fig. 20) It transported coal as part of the Norfolk & Western Railway Company
from the area surrounding Bluefield, which held the largest deposit of bituminous coal in the
world. The train yard and coalfields served as the main source of income for many of the
previous residents. The town had been a hub of social and industrial activity since the late 1800s,
but saw its decline in the 1950s when mechanization replaced workers. 72 The school had also
employed a number of the quarters inhabitants teachers, staff, students, and their families
made up most of the neighborhood. When the school closed there was no reason for those
formerly employed there to stay. Families had to drive or bus their children to school, losing the
convenience and security of living within walking distance. One by one, the residents began to
move out of their homes, and with nothing left to draw new residents to the small hilltop those
homes became abandoned.
72
Nikki Bowman, Living in Bluefield, WV Living Magazine, Spring 2012. http://www.wvliving.com/Spring-
2012/Living-in-Bluefield/
Hamilton|40
Centrals surrounding neighborhood shows all too well the damage that can be inflicted
on a small community when the nearby school is closed. Residents of Bluefield are very aware
of the plight of Central Junior High. Lawrence Calfee has opened up the building for paranormal
tours that include several other vacant historic buildings in distress and is meant to raise
awareness and funding for their preservation. Beckey King, a local resident, has been organizing
these Bluefield Ghost Tours since 2010, with Central Junior High being the cornerstone of the
project. Referring to the collapse of another local landmark, the Matz Hotel, King asserted, We
dont want another Matz situation. We want to keep these buildings and have the funds to keep
and restore them. 73 While it may not save Bluefields failing economy, reusing the school and
putting it to new use could at least bring residents back to the hillside community and give them
something to call their own.
Recommendations
A number of recommendations were formed out of the evaluations of the nine case
studies above. These steps can be applied to the reuse of any vacant historic school building, not
just Central Junior High.
Revitalize the buildings tie to the community
By understanding community needs and desires for the building, their original connection
to it can be identified and preserved. Market studies and surveys of the residents, in the
immediate neighborhood as well as adjoining ones, should be completed to ensure that the new
use corresponds with community needs. Replacing the school with a similar anchoring element
will invest in and benefit the public. Each successful adaptive reuse example given above used
73
Kate Coil, Bluefield Ghost Tours: Telling Tales of History, Hauntings, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Sept 20,
2010. http://bdtonline.com/local/x721420784/Bluefield-Ghost-Tours-Telling-tales-of-history-hauntings
Hamilton|41
market studies and community surveys to determine what the residents around the schools
needed and wanted in the new function for their building.
Seek financial assistance.
State, federal, and local funding are, of course, all very helpful to financing an adaptive
reuse project. A historic building may be eligible for the 10% or 20% federal tax credit, and
corresponding state tax credits. The project itself may be eligible for certain tax credits or loans,
such as the 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credit that Buffalo School received. Grants or loans
from local revolving funds may also be available, as they were to Hodge School, and state
funding can provide large portions of the money needed, as with McDonald High School,
providing 88% of the $7,000,000 project.
Complete a building assessment and market studies.
Document the current conditions of the building and identify the character-defining
features of the exterior, like decorative elements, and the interior, such as spatial relationships.
The new use must be compatible with the layout of the building to reduce the amount of
construction, demolition, and loss of historic material.
It is also important to identify the elements that the community holds most valuable.
Residents may have a different view of what constitutes character-defining that could assist in
the determination. Market studies and surveys will narrow down possible new functions for the
building that will fill a void in the community. Research should also be done into restriction that
the city or state might have for the building and property, such as zoning ordinances. All of these
aspects will inform future reuse plans by setting limitations for the new use.
Follow the Secretary of the Interiors Standards for Rehabilitation.
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It is essential that the historic character and material be maintained to ensure that the
federal and state preservation tax credits will apply to the project, that the building will comply
with historic district requirements if they apply, and to retain its historic connections. For Central
Junior High, this would include its exterior terracotta, limestone, and brickwork, the interior
spatial relationships, and the plasterwork and balcony in the auditorium.
Anticipate problems in each phase.
In the event that any aspect of the project does not go as planned, take measures to ensure
that these problems can be quickly and easily resolved. This may mean securing extra funding
beyond any estimates, having a second use that also correlates with the market studies and
surveys, or a bid from a second construction crew. When it became clear that the first reuse plan
for Hodge School would not yield enough of a return to convince a co-developer to invest, SCSC
decided to adjust the plan so that a co-developer would not be needed. Buffalo School did not
meet Kentucky Housing Corporations criteria for immediate funding, but AU Associates was
ready to move forward at a moments notice. When other projects fell behind schedule, they
were allowed to proceed and as a result of their preparedness they completed the project ahead of
schedule.
Continue to involve the community.
Publish frequent press releases to keep the neighborhood up to date on the progress of the
project. This could be crucial to maintaining their support, first because they may be uneasy
during the process due to their emotional connection with Central Junior High, and second,
because they could provide continued funding if necessary.
Out of the case studies discusses, the following three were the most informative to the
recommendations. Buffalo School and Hodge School were researched to show what made them
Hamilton|43
financially successful in their respective neighborhoods, while Ravenswood School was
examined to determine what factors led to the project's ultimate failure.
One of the most successful aspects of the reuse of the Buffalo School building was the
recognition that the community was of the utmost importance in the process. Erin Riney
established that Buffalo was a school town with a deep connection to the building. Buffalo
Schools role as a community center made it irreplaceable to the towns residents and when the
building was closed it was devastating to the area. Through market studies, AU Associates was
able to provide a new use for Buffalo School that would serve a need in the area for affordable
elderly housing. The Buffalo School building reuse project also stressed the need for
preparedness. Even though the project was temporarily delayed pending approval, once the
approval was received the work began immediately and the project was completed before the
proposed end date. This type of expediency is only possible if every phase of the project, from
preliminary paperwork to the final decorative touches, has been anticipated. This includes
funding, which was provided for this project by State and Federal Tax Credits, Low-Income
Housing Tax Credits, and stimulus funding. Finally, one of the most important elements of
Buffalo Schools adaptive reuse project is the treatment of the historic material. This reuse
project carefully followed the Secretary of the Interiors Standards. While modifications to the
floor plan are expected, the historic material should not be sacrificed but rather incorporated into
the new design.
Hodge School, in Cleveland, Ohio, shows many of the same successful patterns as
Buffalo School. Like Buffalo, the community supported the reuse project. They were involved in
the process through market studies, the neighborhood committee, and updates throughout the
project. Another of the defining features here was the plans flexibility. When the original plan to
Hamilton|44
reuse the school as a day care and mixed-use facility fell through, the St. Clair-Superior
Coalition was able to quickly move on to another plan through further study. They were also able
to finance the entire project through public and private funding; many of their original backers
were so invested in their plan to revitalize the neighborhood that they did not withdraw their
funding even when the outcome changed from the original use to artists housing. This reiterates
the importance of a devoted community; they can make the difference between full realization of
the project and a struggle for support and funds, or even failure.
In complete contrast to Buffalo School and Hodge Schools successes, is the abject
failure of an adaptive reuse project for Ravenswood High School in Palo Alto, California. The
first setback for Ravenswood came shortly after it was closed in 1976. With tenants cycling in
and out of the building over the years, unoccupied units were left open to vandalism, further
complicating any future reuse for the property as a whole. It is unclear whether any market study
or community survey was done after the schools closure, which may have been a contributing
factor to the vacancies. Second, the school district did not realize that their property had been
rezoned by the city of Palo Alto as recreation and open space, something that should have been
fully researched before its attempted sale in 1984. The subsequent court cases delayed
Ravenswoods potential reuse for years and led to the separation of the property into three
parcels. By treating each parcel as an independent property, the city, school district, and county
inadvertently ensured that the same permanent tenant would not occupy the full property and
opened it to the risk of vacancy. To prevent the same failures from occurring with Central Junior
High, it is important that full research be done on the current zoning of the building and
surrounding area. The property should not be parceled or zoned as multiple properties. Any
Hamilton|45
agreements between the owner and the city or county should be made in the early planning
stages of the project.
Concluding Remarks
The reuse of Central Junior High School would return the functionality of an important
cultural landmark and save it from destruction while potentially bringing residents back into the
devastated neighborhood. It is true that the adaptive reuse of one building cannot revitalize the
entire town of Bluefield, but ideally, its reuse could lead to a larger movement within the
community and surrounding area and act as a catalyst for Bluefields struggling economy.
Bluefield was once one of the most important social centers of the state, a railway hub, and a
booming financial and medical epicenter; its historic neighborhoods were home to the some of
the most influential people in the region. Bluefield became the base for Norfolk & Westerns
operations in 1887 and supplied the country with coal throughout the Industrial Revolution and
both World Wars. The towns illustrious start gave way when miners were replaced by machines
in the 1950s and still has not recovered today. 74 Though the town needs more than just the reuse
of one school building, it could mark the beginning of a revival in Bluefield that could return the
city to the cultural landmark it once was.
74
Nikki Bowman, Living in Bluefield, WV Living Magazine, Spring 2012. http://www.wvliving.com/Spring-
2012/Living-in-Bluefield/
Hamilton|46
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Appendix
All photographs were taken by the author in Nov 2012.
Figure #1
North faade of Central Junior High School.
Figure #2
Portion of east faade.
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Figure #3
Central faade, showing castellated parapet wall and terracotta carvings.
Figure #4
Believed to be the last remaining original frieze.
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Figure #5
Crack below window on north faade.
Figure #6
Damage to limestone of west end of north faade.
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Figure #7
Damage to fourth floor classroom ceiling.
Figure #8
Gymnasium on first floor, as viewed facing north.
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Figure #9
Lockers lining second floor hallway.
Figure #10
Damaged hardwood floor in classroom.
Hamilton|55
Figure #11
Third floor auditorium stage as viewed from fourth floor balcony.
Figure #12
Curved balcony on fourth floor above auditorium.
Hamilton|56
Figure #13
Auditorium stage with plaster arch featuring grapevine motif.
Figure #14
Gridded plaster on ceiling featuring lily pattern.
Hamilton|57
Figure #15
Damaged ceiling in northeast portion of balcony area.
Figure #16
Downed plaster constructed around rope.
Hamilton|58
Figure #17
Abandoned home in neighborhood near Central Junior High School. The front porch has broken away from the
faade. Doors and some windows still intact.
Figure #18
Abandoned home in neighborhood with signs of fire damage. All doors and windows are missing.
Hamilton|59
Figure #19
Abandoned home with front porch falling off property. All doors and windows are missing.
Figure #20
View of the train yard from Central Junior High.
Hamilton|60

New Life For Old Schools

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New Life For Old Schools

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A New Life For Old Schools:

Support for the Adaptive Reuse of Abandoned Historic School Buildings

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

Signature of Author and Date ____________________________________________________

Connie Capozzola Pinkerton

CHAPTER 1: THE LOSS OF HISTORIC SCHOOLS 6

CHAPTER 2: ADAPTIVE REUSE AND SCHOOL BUILDINGS 12

CHAPTER 3: CASE STUDIES 21

CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ADAPTIVE REUSE OF HISTORIC SCHOOLS 35

recommendations for adaptively reusing abandoned school buildings.

adaptive reuse as a compromise to save a historic building; it is frequently recognized as a

restoration, reconstruction, and rehabilitation. First, preservation should be defined as the

recreation of a non-surviving site or structure using all new materials. 5

of replacing lost material to return a building to functionality.

Why Historic Schools are Being Abandoned

abandoned schools: (They are) the victims of deferred maintenance, consolidation,

development pressure, inadequate government funding, policies promoting the construction of

can better educate students than older and smaller schools.

School consolidation is another contributing factor to these closures. Two or more

economic or educational benefit or simply because declining school enrollment or performance

and too large to pose an easy solution for a new use.

hours and on weekends.

represented several state agencies and non-profit organizations, such as Pennsylvanias

undeveloped land available for other use. 18

completed. Included in their recommendations is the following checklist:

surrounding neighborhood, making it more attractive to potential investors. Maintaining a vacant

abandoned school building.

capacity and still keep as much of its historic fabric as possible.

historic nature of the existing building instead. 21

Donovan Rypkema, principal of PlaceEconomics, is known for championing adaptive

rehabilitating an existing structure. 24 Following this line of thought, it is more immediately

The concept of functional obsolescence, defined as a decrease in value due to

Adapting for Energy Efficiency

change impacts related to construction. 29

The sustainable Preservation Coalition advises the USGBC on ways to include

USGBC recommends the following steps be taken to ensure a smooth process: 33

1. Review the LEED rating system to assess credit potential

different requirements for each.

Register of Historic Places, either individually or as a contributing building in a National

rehabilitation projects approved for this credit annually.

building meet the following three criteria before being approved:

period during which all requirements must be met. 39

Clendenin, West Virginia.

high value these neighborhood schools have within their community.

be in towns of similar size.

school for the immediate region.

Charleston High School

Ironton High School

and built on the very same site a few years later. 45

McDonald High School

labs, art and music rooms, and a student commons. 46

Notre Dame Academy

Our Lady of Victory Convent And Boarding School

obstacles to meet a community need as well as save a historic school building.

began the long road to Buffalo Schools reuse. 54

historic contribution to the area as a center of community activity. 55

In rural communities like Buffalo, large-scale construction is often impractical or

within its walls.

square feet and sit on a two-acre site. 58

Hodge School is located in the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood of Cleveland, which is

involved in community-building activities dealing with rehabilitation, street crime, and

first set between $100 and $450.

a point of pride in the surrounding neighborhood. 60