CLEARWATER, Fla. — The City of Clearwater is inviting the public to share ideas for the future of the historic North Ward School during an open house next week.
It will be on Thursday, July 30, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
North Ward School was one of the first public schools in Pinellas County. The initial school building was built in 1915. It later expanded and ultimately closed in 2009. The buildings have been vacant for more than a decade.
The Clearwater Historical Society is gathering memorabilia from the school ahead of the event. Jeanne Holmquist is a former North Ward student and is currently the secretary at the Historical Society.
Holmquist attended fifth grade at North Ward, along with her siblings. She recalled the building’s older features, including “the old wooden floors” and “the old steps going upstairs.”
“Everything creaked, and there were radiators and things that we had never even seen before,” she said.
While preparing for the city’s North Ward open house, Holmquist said she found a photo that revealed another family connection to the school.
“I’m like, ‘That guy looks very familiar to me,’ and I text it to my sister, and we both agreed it is my uncle who would have been about 12 years old,” she said.
Christopher Edwards, Clearwater’s Economic Development and Housing Director, said the property presents a rare opportunity for the city.
“This is a tremendous economic development and community redevelopment opportunity,” Edwards said. “Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the city to take a valuable, historic asset in our community and elevate it for Clearwater.”
Edwards said the site could become a mixed-use development that includes residential and commercial space while preserving key parts of the historic campus.
“We want to see how we can not only preserve the existing assets that we have on the property, but also birth something new and revive the site,” Edwards said.
Holmquist said she hopes any future use keeps some of the school’s historic elements, while creating a new purpose that draws public interest.
“If you could make that cafeteria into a restaurant or a cafe or something like that, and either a hotel or art studios or something, that would bring people in,” she said.
The city will use community feedback from the open house to develop a request for proposals from developers. Once proposals are submitted, city staff will review them before making a recommendation to the Clearwater City Council.
Tyler O’Neill
Source link