The Guilford County Board of Education voted Tuesday to completely rebuild Lindley Elementary School.
The decision came after a lengthy discussion about whether the 96-year-old building could be preserved and several public comments from Lindley alumni and parents.
The board was given the option to either renovate and construct an addition, or demolish and rebuild. At their last meeting, officials said rebuilding would take less time and save roughly $17 million.
But several speakers, like Caroline Boone, said they’d like the board to preserve as much of the school as possible. Specifically, its facade.
"This solution maintains the building's architectural ties to the surrounding neighborhood," Boone said. "And ensures that future Lindley Elementary students will experience the same sense of pride and attachment to the community that surrounding residents have felt towards the school for the past 96 years.”
The building is in poor condition, and needs to be made bigger in order to accommodate more students in the fast-growing area. For those reasons, Amelia Maddox, a Lindley parent, argued that a total rebuild is the best option.
“Our school's legacy is not built on its bricks, and its culture is not sustained by its facade," Maddox said. "Our school's heritage is in its people, the faculty and staff who serve the Lindley institution to educate the children that learn there and the families who support that mission.”
According to district officials, preserving the school’s facade would cost more money, take several months longer and pose other engineering challenges.
With that in mind, the board ultimately voted unanimously to rebuild the school for an estimated cost of $76 million. Officials said they would work to honor Lindley’s history by incorporating elements from the existing building into the new construction.
The project is expected to be completed in 2027.
Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.