Under Restoration – Gretna School House to get a fresh look for an old school

Slowly, bit-by-bit, the Old Gretna School House will be getting fresh renovations for an older look.

Two grants, one from the Florida Division of Historic Resources, and the other from the National Park Services, are fueling the repairs that have been underway at the school.

In July, those who drove down Church Street in Gretna would have spotted signs by the roadway, alerting locals to the fact that a historic preservation contractor was conducting repairs on the school’s windows.

Work on the windows was finished in the latter part of July, giving the school house a freshened look, but Town Manager Antonio Jefferson says Gretna is far from finished with repairs.

“We’re in the midst of renovations to the facility,” said Jefferson.

The grant received by the State of Florida’s Division of Historic Resources was presented to the City of Gretna under the stipulation that the municipality restore the 114-year-old school building to its original, 1908 appearance.

The grant required the city to restore the building to its original appearance and footprint, which means some deconstruction as well as reconstruction, Jefferson said.

“We are removing the kitchen,” he adds.

The kitchen currently inside the schoolhouse was added to the building much later in the school’s life, around the 1970s, and as part of the state’s grant requirements, it’s got to go.

In addition to restoring the 32 windows on the school building, Jefferson said that the city has already repaired the school’s roof and gutters.

Some of the renovations that are still underway at the school include strengthening the floor inside the school, replacing rotted wood in the school’s internal support structure, scraping the chipped paint off the exterior and giving it a fresh paint coat, and replacing lighting fixtures.

While not 1908-accurate, the city also has to make the school more accessible under Americans with Disabilities Act standards - meaning the school will have handicap accessible bathrooms and entryways.

“Once finished with all the repairs, it will give the school a lot more curb appeal,” said Jefferson.

Eventually, Jefferson and the City of Gretna council hope to have the school reopened to the public, as both a place of historical importance and an event space for locals.

“We want to have the place open to the community,” said Jefferson.

While it won’t be a museum, per se, Jefferson said historic artifacts of the school’s 114 year history will be housed at the school building.

The city has had school-related memorabilia donated to them by citizens in the community, but until the school is finished being repaired, Jefferson said the West Gadsden Historical Society in Greensboro is the caretaker of those donated artifacts.

“It won’t be a museum, but we do want some representation of the history of this school,” said Jefferson. “I think it will help the community realize the importance of this building.”

So far, Jefferson said the city only has plans to reopen the first floor to the public post-repairs, but he has a dream of reopening the second floor as well.

“The second floor has a stage, and I would love to see community performances take place there,” added Jefferson.

Right now, the city does not have enough funding to make the second floor handicap accessible, as that would require an external elevator.

“The state grant doesn’t allow us to buy an elevator,” he explains. “We’d want the second floor to be accessible to all.”

So the City of Gretna is focusing on repairing the lower half of the school building, and hopes to set their sights on finishing the upper portion at a later date.

Repairs aren’t cheap, though, and Jefferson says that if the elevator is to open back up the second floor, community support will be needed.

“Everything is so expensive once you start restoring a historic building,” added Jefferson.

The current repairs and restorations are only possible thanks to the hefty grants from the state and national level.

“This is an ongoing project,” said Jefferson. “People will see a lot of work as they drive by.”

Jefferson and the City of Gretna have hopes to see all restoration projects at the school completed by spring of 2023, and the first floor to reopen to the public shortly after that.

“We are excited to see this thing come to fruition,” concluded Jefferson. “We hope the community is also excited.”

The Old Gretna School House, listed on the registry of historic places, was constructed in 1908 to serve the children of the Gretna area.

R.A. Gray, who later became Florida’s longest serving Secretary of State, was a principal at the school from 1910-1911.

The school remained in use as an educational facility until 1935, at which point it lived multiple lives as a health clinic, town hall, community center, and had been filled by local churches for faith-related activities.

Ashley Hunter - editor@gadsdencountytimes.com

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Under Restoration – Gretna School House to get a fresh look for an old school

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Something sweet raises a nest egg for Panhandle Pioneer Settlement repairs

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