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THE PROCESS
Decorah Community School District convened the East Side School Study Committee in 2003. The information the committee gleaned from surveys, meetings with interested parties, study of other community centers, and consultation with preservation experts led them to recommend, in 2004, that East Side School “be used as a cultural and education center in a historical setting.” In essence, they called for an art, education, culture, and services mall as part of the school campus.
The Study Committee recommended that a board be established to carry this vision forward. In summer 2004 the East Side School Development Committee was formed for this purpose. It is now an IRC non-profit 501C(3) state- and federal-approved corporation.
In February 2005 East Side School Development Committee received study reports from Doug Steinmetz, architect, showing an excellent set of plans for renovating the East Side building into an education and arts center.
East Side School Development Committee contracted with The Durrant Group, Inc. of Dubuque, Iowa in spring 2005 for assistance with program ideas, architectural development and funding plans for the project. This group, which played a key role in the development of Dubuque’s historic waterfront, affirmed the project’s great potential for Decorah.
The East Side School Development Committee contracted with Holmes, Radford, and Avalon to survey the community and develop plans for private fundraising, public funding, and grant opportunities. The Radford report was delivered in February of 2006 indicating it was not a good time for a public fundraising effort.
The school board voted to demolish the East Side School in July 2006. Following the announcement of a $500,000 pledge by the local retired businessman Fritz Carlson, Decorah Community School Board extended additional time for the East Side School
Development Committee: nine months to raise $3.24 million, and, if successful, an added year to raise the total to $5.4 million to both renovate the school and provide an endowment for annual programs and maintenance.
Fundraising efforts are now under way as the East Side School Development Committee tries to meet this ambitious goal and bring new life to this community landmark. East Side School Development Committee anticipates overseeing renovation and managing the operation of the center under a long-term lease from the school district, which will continue to own the building and its grounds.
The Study Committee recommended that a board be established to carry this vision forward. In summer 2004 the East Side School Development Committee was formed for this purpose. It is now an IRC non-profit 501C(3) state- and federal-approved corporation.
In February 2005 East Side School Development Committee received study reports from Doug Steinmetz, architect, showing an excellent set of plans for renovating the East Side building into an education and arts center.
East Side School Development Committee contracted with The Durrant Group, Inc. of Dubuque, Iowa in spring 2005 for assistance with program ideas, architectural development and funding plans for the project. This group, which played a key role in the development of Dubuque’s historic waterfront, affirmed the project’s great potential for Decorah.
The East Side School Development Committee contracted with Holmes, Radford, and Avalon to survey the community and develop plans for private fundraising, public funding, and grant opportunities. The Radford report was delivered in February of 2006 indicating it was not a good time for a public fundraising effort.
The school board voted to demolish the East Side School in July 2006. Following the announcement of a $500,000 pledge by the local retired businessman Fritz Carlson, Decorah Community School Board extended additional time for the East Side School
Development Committee: nine months to raise $3.24 million, and, if successful, an added year to raise the total to $5.4 million to both renovate the school and provide an endowment for annual programs and maintenance.
Fundraising efforts are now under way as the East Side School Development Committee tries to meet this ambitious goal and bring new life to this community landmark. East Side School Development Committee anticipates overseeing renovation and managing the operation of the center under a long-term lease from the school district, which will continue to own the building and its grounds.
For more than a century the towers of Decorah’s East Side School have graced the skyline of this farming, business, and education-minded community: time-honored symbols of the hopes and dreams of generations of Decorah residents. We invite you to join in the mission of the Decorah Community Education and Arts Center: to use the East Side building to provide the setting to educate, inspire, and enrich the community by offering lifelong learning opportunities which will contribute to the environmental, economic, and creative vibrancy of the Decorah area.
VISION AND VALUE STATEMENT
A major point favoring the creation of a community education and arts center at this time is the availability of the East Side School. East Side, designed by Orff and Joralemon Architects, is an outstanding, and very well preserved work of architecture. The school was constructed in 1896 and opened its doors in 1897. When completed, the brick and stone school was the largest building in central Decorah, with towers that gave it prominence and beauty.
From 1897 to 1922 the new schoolhouse served all children in Decorah, K-12. From 1922 to 1939 it housed grades K-8. From 1939 to 1999 it served various grades of Decorah’s younger students, ultimately as an elementary school. By the time it closed in 1999, it had served tens of thousands, several generations, of Decorah students.
This 1896 school building is a historic landmark. It is on the Historic Register and has been designated by the National Historic Trust as one of the eleven most endangered historic landmarks in the country.
Architectural studies show a structurally sound building ready for renovation that will preserve its main historic features while improving accessibility (including an elevator) and updating plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling systems.
The school district does not use this building for public school education and in the past has offered a letter of support to use the building for the development of a community education and arts center. The school board has now extended time to raise the necessary funds for a community education and art center and agreed to enter into a contract with the ESSDC if their funding timeline is met.
Renovating the East Side building would save the school district the expense of further dealing with the building. The school’s reuse is an environmentally appropriate approach. Federal, state, and local sources support the adaptive reuse of school buildings. Also, the proximity of Decorah students adds potential value to the education and art center.
From 1897 to 1922 the new schoolhouse served all children in Decorah, K-12. From 1922 to 1939 it housed grades K-8. From 1939 to 1999 it served various grades of Decorah’s younger students, ultimately as an elementary school. By the time it closed in 1999, it had served tens of thousands, several generations, of Decorah students.
This 1896 school building is a historic landmark. It is on the Historic Register and has been designated by the National Historic Trust as one of the eleven most endangered historic landmarks in the country.
Architectural studies show a structurally sound building ready for renovation that will preserve its main historic features while improving accessibility (including an elevator) and updating plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling systems.
The school district does not use this building for public school education and in the past has offered a letter of support to use the building for the development of a community education and arts center. The school board has now extended time to raise the necessary funds for a community education and art center and agreed to enter into a contract with the ESSDC if their funding timeline is met.
Renovating the East Side building would save the school district the expense of further dealing with the building. The school’s reuse is an environmentally appropriate approach. Federal, state, and local sources support the adaptive reuse of school buildings. Also, the proximity of Decorah students adds potential value to the education and art center.
EAST SIDE SCHOOL
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