Old Parrish Schoolhouse

About the Program

Category: Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

Manatee County has entered into a comprehensive community partnership which has culminated in the creation of a thriving community center from a previously neglected historic site. The Old Parish School was built around 1926 and provided a formal learning environment for the community until its closing in the mid 1960s. Since then, the building had been used for a variety of functions including a community library, a community meeting hall and a rural health center. The building was closed in 1998 when it was found to be in violation of building, life safety and fire codes. Although there initially was a strong community opposition to renovating the building, the collective efforts of the Parish Foundation, Manatee County and the Manatee County School Board determined that this building could and should be saved. Despite extensive damage to the roof and second floor as a result of being neglected for decades, the Old Parish School had actually suffered minimal structural damage. Renovation work included removing all original walls, doors, floors as well as upgrades to the site. After looking at various options to operate the building, the county opted to enter into an agreement with the Manatee County YMCA to operate the building as a Community Center. After funding the renovation of the historic building, the county will incur no additional operating costs other than non routine maintenance of major systems like fire protection and air conditioning.