ELLENTON — They tried to sell it but no one would buy it.
They tried to preserve it but in the end, school officials said the building was just too dangerous.
As a result, Ellenton Elementary, one of Manatee County’s oldest schoolhouses but out of service for 15 years, is being razed this week.
Demolition began Thursday on the 15,035-square-foot schoolhouse at 816 Leffingwell Ave., near U.S. 301. It is expected to be completed by the end of next week, said Jane Dreger, assistant director of the Manatee County School District’s Construction Services.
“The equipment is there today and they’ll start poking holes in the building,” Dreger said Thursday.
The estimated completion from the contractor, Palmetto firm Forristall Enterprises, is three to four days for the demolition and a day or two for site cleanup, she said.
The building, built in the early 1900s, has not been used for 15 years, Dreger said.
Discussion over what to do with the building started in February when the school board agreed to put it up for sale.
“We couldn’t get a buyer,” said school district spokeswoman Margi Nanney. “Then we tried to preserve it but it was so dangerous we couldn’t get anyone in to look at it.”
Early last month the school board approved demolishing and selling the 1.7-acre property the building has sat on for decades.
An asbestos abatement and lead abatement were included in the contract with the construction manager W.G. Mills.
Earlier this week, the hazardous materials were removed, Dreger said. But, in the end, it was deemed structurally unsafe.
School board member Jane Pfeilsticker said the board had no other choice but to raze the building.
“At this point, it’s to ensure people’s safety,” Pfeilsticker said.
There is confusion over when the school was built. Manatee County’s historical records say the building was completed in 1915. School records show it was built in 1926.
The decision to raze the building drew disappointment from local historical preservationists including Cathy Slusser, deputy director of historical resources for the Manatee County’s Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller.
“It always makes me really sad when we lose another historical building, all the memories that people had ... what it represented,” Slusser said.
“It was the only piece of the community that had the name Ellenton written on the building.”for 15 years, Dreger said.
Discussion over what to do with the building started in February when the school board agreed to put it up for sale.
“We couldn’t get a buyer,” said school district spokeswoman Margi Nanney. “Then we tried to preserve it but it was so dangerous we couldn’t get anyone in to look at it.”
Early last month the school board approved demolishing and selling the 1.7-acre property the building has sat on for decades.
An asbestos abatement and lead abatement were included in the contract with the construction manager W.G. Mills.
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