Click image to enlarge. The halls of Pinson Elementary School have resonated with the patter of little feet for seventy-eight years. Known as the "rock school" to many locals because of its cobblestone veneer, the building--most recently used as a day-care center--is typical of many of Alabama's historic schools of the 1920s. And like many others of the same era, the Pinson School is slated for demolition, in this case to make way for a larger school on the same site. Members of the local Turkey Creek Historical Society are trying to save the school for use as a community center or other adaptive re use. Unfortunately, they have had little success in eliciting support from the Jefferson County school board.
The subject of school re use is a complicated one, involving politics, functionality, and growing school-age populations. Add shrinking budgets to this mixture, and one understands how preservation becomes a low priority. Too often, however, the situation is couched as an either/or proposition-either maintain the existing school or build a new one. There are other options, however, and it is often possible to renovate and expand an existing school for considerably less than it would cost to build a new structure. The Alabama Historical Commission and the Alabama Preservation Alliance have worked in tandem to convince local school boards to preserve and re use their schools. One such success is the historic Skyline School in Jackson County, which was saved from the wrecking ball and is presently being rehabilitated; another success is Mobile's Leinkauf Elementary School.
School buildings touch the lives of almost everyone in a community and serve as a common thread among gene rations. Often, as in the case of Pinson, local folks contributed materials and some times even labor. Yet these structures, which mean so much to so many people, are coming down across Alabama before attempts are made to explore preservation alternatives.
School buildings touch the lives of almost everyone in a community and serve as a common thread among gene rations. Often, as in the case of Pinson, local folks contributed materials and some times even labor. Yet these structures, which mean so much to so many people, are coming down across Alabama before attempts are made to explore preservation alternatives.
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