First built in 1887, the Washington School heard the pitter-patter of young feet for nearly 100 years. The original three-story building was replaced in 1937 with the current one-story structure that served Kindergarten through sixth grade until 1980. For a short while after, it was an adult reading center, then used for storage. In 2008, then-owner Randy Vilela had the building registered as a national historic landmark. In August 2023, Washington School got a new lease on life. Purchased by Point Forward, a local non-profit, the school is currently undergoing a radical remodeling and transformation into a childcare facility. On Tuesday, Point Forward Chairman Ron Scripsick gave a tour of the ongoing work to members of the Point Forward Board, Crawford County Commission, and the press. The transformation is immediate. What had been a deteriorating building is being revitalized into a modern childcare facility. Despite the water damage from a collapsing roof, the building’s masonry skeleton has withstood the years of neglect and has remained solid and firm. An entirely new roof now covers the old school. Inside, metal studs are spaced along exposed brickwork, waiting for the windows to be installed so the drywall can be hung. The new facility isn’t so much a single-building school, but more of a campus. Childcare will be in the old school while a second building is being constructed to the north for pre-K children whose next stop is Kindergarten. A pair of playgrounds will flank the old school and the alley behind it will be converted into a one-way drive for pick-up and drop-off with a parking lot to the east for faculty and parents. The old building, roughly 14,150 square-feet, will feature nine classrooms for children ranging in age from infant to three-and-a-half. The front entrance is flanked by the administrative office and a clinic with a nurse’s station at the south end of the main north-south hallway. Two parallel hallways, running east-to-west, branch of the main hall, bracketing an auditorium between them with the northern hall accessing the kitchen. The auditorium can double as a playground during inclement weather. The new 5,790-square-foot building, situated to the north, will feature five classrooms for children 3-5 years old. The two buildings will be connected by a covered walkway. The total capacity for the school is 256 students. Each class will have two sessions — one morning, one afternoon — with 20 children per session. In all, the project is estimated to cost $5.7 million. To build a similar, newer facility could cost upwards of two to three times as much, according to Point Forward. There are tentative plans to partner with Pittsburg State once the center is up and running. With the main campus a few blocks to the south and the new Gorilla Rising just to the north, Shawn Naccarato, vice president for Economic Development and Community Engagement at Pittsburg State, said there is opportunity for the two to work together, especially with the Reading Center being moved downtown to the Besse. “Many kids without pre-school take until third grade before they catch up to those with pre-school,” Naccarato said. “With the university’s reading center just down the street, we can introduce those programs at an earlier age to increase outcomes.” Naccarato also pointed out possible collaboration with the Kelce School of Business. “You never think about these things until they are right across the street,” he said. Those involved with the project said it will be nice to have children running down the halls of the historic building again. Source: Morning Sun
