The former Eagle Lake Elementary School was built 99 years ago, but the historic building might not reach its 100th birthday.
The Eagle Lake City Commission is scheduled to select a demolition contractor at its June 1 meeting. If a contract is awarded, the 1926 red brick schoolhouse designed by architect Edward Columbus Hosford, who also designed the Bartow Courthouse, will be razed.
But there is an organized campaign in opposition to the city’s plans, from a generation of locals who grew up within earshot of its school bell.
The small city between the larger cities of Bartow and Winter Haven has seen droves of new residents as the rooftops of multiple new subdivisions have sprouted up and swollen Eagle Lake’s population to about 4,600 residents, according to recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
Locals want to save the red brick schoolhouse for posterity
Hosford potentially designed as many as five schools for the Polk County School Board, including those in Kathleen, Lakeland and Mulberry.
The session on Monday is expected to draw a vocal group of residents, including some of the school’s alumni, who weeks ago started an online petition to save the building from the wrecking ball.
The possible demolition has dominated posts to the Eagle Lake Facebook page, where residents such as Justin Newberry have launched a pressure campaign to save the schoolhouse.
The former school is now the Linda E. Weldon Activity Center at 685 E Eagle Ave. and rests among other Eagle Lake government buildings.
Inside the activity center in recent decades, the Girl Scouts have met there as recently as last year, elections were once held there, and in the 1990s the Mistletoe Marketplace also was a bustling annual hometown Christmas event where kids got photographed with Santa.
“It’s just highly sentimental to the generation who grew up here,” Newberry said in a May 29 phone interview. “Tearing it down reduces history to rubble, while restoring it allows future generations to understand where they came from.”
Newberry said he has met with historical societies around the region and learned about their efforts to obtain grants and restore buildings as he wants to do in Eagle Lake.
He has also learned that the red brick schoolhouse might contain asbestos and its restrooms present challenges to accessibility.
According to Change.org, the petition to save the historic building has gained more than 600 signatures.
Many behind the petition have also been interviewed by Tampa news stations and posted about the signature drive on Facebook.
A description on the petition said, “The Linda E Weldon Activity Center, affectionately known as the Old Red Brick Schoolhouse, is more than just a structure; it is a cherished landmark deeply embedded in the fabric of our community in Eagle Lake, Florida.”
The petition, created by Tiffany Crawford, also points out “the rehabilitation of historic buildings can significantly boost local economies through heritage tourism and community engagement.” She added, “Let’s also consider the environmental impact — demolishing and rebuilding often results in a bigger carbon footprint compared to restoration efforts.”
City manager says options for the historic building have been exhausted
City Manager Thomas Ernharth said Eagle Lake had an engineering study done during fiscal year 2022-2023, and it found “it would need significant upgrades to be used.”
“The decision was made shortly after that to demo the red brick (schoolhouse) and the surrounding buildings, which include the current city hall, senior center and commission chambers,” Ernharth said.
An architect has estimated it will cost $15 million to raze the four buildings and construct new facilities.
“The new city hall will be located where the red brick now stands,” Ernharth said. “Adjacent to the (new city hall) will be three additional buildings for the (Polk County) Sheriff’s Office substation, commission chambers, community center and a library.”
If approved at the June 1 meeting, the demolition could start in June or July, depending on the contractor’s schedule, the city manager said. “The completion of all four buildings could take up to 18 months once construction begins.”
The meeting is at 7 p.m. in the City Commission chambers, next door to the old schoolhouse.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Locals pressure Eagle Lake to save old schoolhouse from demolition
Reporting by Paul Nutcher, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
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