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Neighborhood report

This old school is up for sale

The Gary School could become a city landmark, and some can envision it as home to lofts or a business.

By ELISABETH DYER
Published September 30, 2005

For sale: one charming red brick school. Ranked in top five oldest in the Hillsborough County School District. Two stories, plus basement. Many original windows, doors, transoms and stairways. Some water damage.

District officials decided last month to sell the building at 3610 E 10th Ave. The school served as Gary Elementary from 1914 through 1979, then Gary Adult High.

Cracks in the roof forced the district to close the school in June. Rain stained ceilings, warped wood floors and puddled in pools in classrooms. More water seeps in with each rain.

The city's historic preservation commission recommended last week that the building be designated a city landmark based on its age and architectural design. The final hearing will likely be in January, said Dennis Fernandez, manager of the city's historic preservation commission.

A landmark designation tends to increase property value because it guarantees that the structure is going to be maintained in a certain way, he said. It also often increases neighboring property values.

Gary administrators initiated the designation to ensure the building's preservation.

"I dread thinking that this school will be torn down," said Marian Seymour, a guidance counselor at Gary for the past 11 years.

The school's 380 students, 16 and older, moved into portables on the lawn in July. Many are seeking high school or GED diplomas. Some are disabled adults.

"We would love to stay here," said principal Terry Zartman, who came in 1991. "No one wants to leave."

School officials expect to leave the site in February, when a $4.4-million replacement school will be finished on 40th Street in Belmont/Jackson Heights.

In the meantime, City Council members are seeking $5,000 to buy a tarp to cover the roof for a year while they search for money to secure the Gary building.

"It's so much cheaper to put a tarp over it now than to have to deal with the water damage later," said council member Linda Saul-Sena, who cringes every time it rains.

"When we allow something to sit and rot, it's really demolition by neglect," she said.

Saul-Sena recognizes the school district's financial crunch but hopes it will expedite the sale, perhaps to a nonprofit organization.

Despite the problems, the structure and interior are still mostly intact, Fernandez said. Residential lofts or a business could move into the building, he says.

"I think the designation will make it an attractive property for developers," he said.

Tony Ippolito envisions a library or public meeting place.

"Gary School is the heart of the community," said Ippolito, who was born in 1923 across the street from the school, which he attended with his brothers and sisters.

Renovating the school would be too costly for the district, said chief facilities officer Cathy Valdes.

"We would love to do it, but we don't have the money," she said. It would require bringing the building up to current codes, new wiring and plumbing, and an elevator.

- Elisabeth Dyer can be reached at 226-3321 or edyer@sptimes.com

[Last modified September 29, 2005, 09:21:10]