SOUTHLAKE -- A historical marker noting the site of the 1919 Carroll School is slated to go up in coming weeks, but it is unclear how long the brick building will be there.
The oldest public building in Southlake, the schoolhouse is on the grounds of Carroll Intermediate School at Carroll Avenue and Highland Street, which was closed after the 2002-03 school year.This month, the school board declared the intermediate school surplus property, paving the way for it to be sold.Trustees voted in February to donate the 1919 school to the Southlake Historical Society. But the group's president, Anita Robeson, said it can't accept it because the society doesn't have the money to restore or move it. A church that has been meeting in the intermediate school says it's interested in buying the tract.Robeson acknowledges that the historic building may be demolished unless the new owners adapt it for reuse."We certainly would hope that someone would recognize the building as the birthplace of Carroll school district and the city of Southlake and could make use of it in a development," she said. "We think it would be inspirational to have it stay in the community."Spruce it upThe historical marker from the Texas Historical Commission recognizes the building's significance to area history but does not include restrictions for how the property is used.The schoolhouse, built by farmers who lived in the area west of Grapevine, was expanded from three rooms to six after World War II. The building was last used for Carroll's transportation department and has been vacant since 2001.In the summer, members of Southlake Baptist Church worked to restore the exterior as part of an effort to spruce up the property before moving into Carroll Intermediate on Aug. 7. The church painted the 1919 building and used mortar that is appropriate for historic buildings, Robeson said.The congregation, which has grown in two years from 12 members to about 200, has a two-year lease with the school district for space at the intermediate school.Under their contract, if the property is sold within the two years, the school district must reimburse the church up to $50,000 for building improvements and/or provide another Carroll site for the church to rent.Pastor Clayton Reed said the church intends to bid on the Carroll Intermediate tract and, if successful, incorporate the 1919 building into a master plan."We anticipate that it's going to be a long selling process, based on the market in Southlake right now," Reed said. "We have a great partnership with the district and we understand their financial situation, and our goal is to be a potential buyer and to work with them."Deciding to sellIn March 2003, trustees were split 4-3 on whether to close Carroll Intermediate, leaving the district with two campuses for students in fifth and sixth grades.The move was made to help save about $500,000 in personnel expenses. At the time, the district was facing a $2 million budget shortfall.Carroll is facing another budget shortfall for the 2012-13 school year, and trustees are looking to cut expenses and generate money. It is unclear how much the district might generate from selling Carroll Intermediate, but officials are getting an appraisal before seeking sealed bids."Given what we can see in the future, it doesn't appear that the district would have use for the property," school board President Read Ballew said. "I believe that the board would sell it for a good price."In recent years, Carroll Intermediate has housed offices for child nutrition staffers and special-education diagnosticians. Those offices will move to a new administrative center at the vacant Carroll Middle School building on Dove Road, which is slated for renovation. That building became vacant at the end of the 2010-11 school year.Jessamy Brown, 817-390-7326Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
