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<br /> PAGE H4 STAR TRIBUNE
<br /> Homes .
<br /> SATURDAY,APRIL 1
<br /> t nr
<br /> w y - = C ► �. S R.Y. school house conversions'. ,l .
<br /> A neglected school overlooking Lake Minnetonka in Orono has been saved by a
<br /> a
<br /> group that felt that it deserved a better fate than being torn down.
<br />` Star Tribune photo
<br /> Richard Sennott
<br /> Schoolhouses 1
<br /> feature wide-oE
<br /> interiors ripe fo
<br />�. conversion into [
<br /> vate residence:
<br /> pose many cha
<br /> lenges.The oris
<br /> " white oak floor
<br /> f
<br />` the Stubbs Bay
<br /> �g £ school were
<br /> damaged by rai
<br /> and had to be r
<br /> placed with pin
<br /> L
<br /> ,., ...g
<br /> E
<br /> G`
<br /> �o F;
<br /> 'St
<br /> Libl . ay s use is
<br /> The group bought the building in 1997 school districts in the 1960s and 1970s," A building also can earn a histone
<br /> massive 500 an t beg g p tact with the Nelson,state historical archi- ignation if a major event took place n
<br /> ,., It's
<br /> ' Minnesota Historical Society. structure.But usually a building i 'si
<br /> f#er almost'half a century as a for-$118,500 andb an malar laps for said shdifficult to estimate the number of . only if ther�e`is some stt <
<br /> ` sch(*, the Stubbs. Bay school- A fare occurrence abandoned or'.nbsolete school buildings,' munityfroth people vthai i a
<br />� -
<br /> houie in Orono had nearly out- The Stubbs Bey. school,was lucky. he said.There's no inveintp(ry tit clearing lion with
<br /> 1 lastecl'its usefulness. Many buildings like this one don't get a house for such data. Nelson said 11 ' schb0lha
<br /> 1 As the city grew,,the school.no longer second chance.All across the state,obso- There's another reason their numbers become.town halls I or other munit
<br /> was capable of accommodating all of the- Tete schoolhouses'get torn down.Somo of aren't tracked:most do not have historic buildings. While it's good that t
<br /> new students who moved into the area. the buildings are saved by moving thdesignations,which can beassigned if the buildings stay in public service,they c
<br /> So for several years the building,which A school near the Stubbs Bay school building has maintained its architectural lose their architectural integrity du
<br /> was constructed in I912, was used as a moved to Murphy's Landing in Shakopoe. integrity or has some importance in the the renovation,Nelson said.
<br /> home and a childhood development cen- The legacy of most survives only on the community. Old school buildings can be good
<br /> ter. - ' pages of history books'and in the memo-" The Bremer School on Lowry Avenue versionprojects because they ust
<br /> 1 Time had taken':its toll on the one- ries of former students. j in north Minneapolis is an example.Built have high ceilings,wood floors,large
<br /> story,glazed clay-tile building.Though it Some,like the Stubbs Bay school, d in 1886,the building was listed on the Na- closets and tall windows, but they
<br /> was sound structurally,it was grossly in new uses. tional Register of Historic Places in 1977. come difficult projects because thea
<br /> need of repair.The roof hada gaping hole' "Many of these smaller schoolhou s The distinct castle-like building was later usually only a couple of rooms ani
<br /> in it and some of the windows were bro- are Victorian-era buildings that ha a converted into condominiums.(See story kitchen.
<br /> ken. The mechanical systems needed become obsolete with changes in the on page 1-17).
<br /> updating,and the exterior was overgrown Appreciating history
<br />►. - by trees and shrubs. k The Jacks, who are not professi
<br /> Even the large bell,which called hun �� ��� �: builders or remodelers,wanted to tr
<br /> dreds of students to school over the years, � ' form the building into good livable sl
<br />' was missing. without disrupting its lines and chara,
<br />' The school, which:is on a prime 1.8- Devotees of things old and unu
<br /> acre lot with mature trees overlooking (John Jack claims to have the only C
<br /> Lake Minnetonka,seemed destined to be " Cod cat boat—a sail boat half as wid
<br /> tom down. it is long—in the Midwest);they me
<br /> Instead, Suzanne and John Jack, and to Lake Minnetonka from Ducksbi
<br /> Doug Aabel and Dan Bauer of Right Angle Mass., a.town with deep roots and c
<br />► Building Corp.rescued the building. nections to the Pilgrims.
<br /> She fell in love with it,"John Jack said. 117_1111,.A. There,they restored a 1796 house;
<br />►
<br /> She was enthused about the idea of sav- M learned to appreciate an East Coast in
<br />► ing it and she knew that if we didn't, it "a ,a.. tality that favors preservation rather t]
<br />► would be bulldozed, It was just.-one of- The Stubbs Bay school in Orono,shown above in historic photos from "Orono,Minnesota: demolition. "They[East Coasters] sa,
<br /> .those sparks t4at soft 0 igritt@e;"Lt's.lik�!' -100 Years by the Waters of Minnetonka," was a popular sledding hill.The building at 3550 everything; here they tear it dom
<br />' k9ling in love." Watertown Road was used as a schoolhouse for nearly 50 years. Suzanne Jack said.
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