There is an old brick school near my library. Today, I got a tour. It has been effectively abandoned for a long time while "civic leaders" argue about how to use it and who should pay to renovate it.
The building has served various functions over the years after the school district built new schools for the town. One room was the library about three decades ago. People want to use the building again eventually, and it finally seems like progress might be possible. Volunteers have funded some basic upkeep, but now real progress is being discussed.
I apologize for the quality of the photos. Cell phone snapshots aren't ideal, and the light from the few uncovered windows made a mess of some shots. I have cropped and edited what I have as best I can where necessary.
Piles of desks, demolition and renovation detritus, graffiti, and decay fill this classroom.
Exterior walls with lots of windows for natural light, now boarded up. Windows thatvaren't boared up have been broken by vandals. Why are some kids drawn to senseless destruction?
At some point, someone decided to wallpaper one of the old schoolrooms with newspapers. Enjoy some mid-70s comics!
The trim is spectacular where it was left untouched. They don't build it like that anymore. Wainscoating, chair rails, picture rails, baseboards, window and door trim, transom windows in all the classrooms...
The ceilings are tall, 11 or 12 feet. Most rooms had been "updated" with these dropped ceiling grids for boring tiles. It's not like they were hiding HVAC up there. The paint is peeling, but the space would be amazing if they restore it.
Meanwhile, between entropy and demolition, the floors are starting to look like what one finds in Fallout games. Where it isn't covered with peeling plaster and paint, the linoleum is coming apart. The floorboards underneath look good though. The old building still has good bones.
The old science lab was spared broken windows by being boarded up and on the top floor. Just the glass in the hallway door has been shattered here. This could be a cool makerspace with very little work.
The hard part of the process is updating a building almost 100 years old to meet modern safety code and ADA requirements. An elevator will need to be installed. The handrails on the stairs are far too low. Disjointed partial update efforts need to be ripped out and redone in a consistent and compliant way. At least the main floor has updated restrooms, and should meet ADA requirements already.
Regulatory compliance is a bitch though, and she is expensive. It's a shame, too, because the building is amazing and the space is needed by everyone in town. The school needs more classrooms since the town is growing. The library needs event space. City Hall wants to move. The Senior Center wants to expand. But politics gets in the way of funding while also increasing the funding required do anything.