Saint John plans to give away or demolish historic Little Red School House

A Saint John historian is raising concerns about the city's plans to get rid of a 19th century one-room schoolhouse on the waterfront as part of site preparations for the new New Brunswick Museum.

The city has posted an expression of interest for the so-called Little Red School House, which was gifted to the city in 1969 by the local branch of the New Brunswick Teachers' Association.

If a new owner and locationfor the historic buildingisn't found by Aug. 3, it will be demolished, according to the notice.

Harold Wright says that would "be a shame."

Although theold schoolhousehas fallen into disrepair and is currently used as a storage space for patio umbrellas, Wright describes it as a "significant building with a story that should be preserved."

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Kathryn Wilson, president of the New Brunswick Historical Society and a member of the New Brunswick Society of Retired Teachers, agrees.

"Many, many of our ancestors, that's the type of schooling they got, in small schoolhouses where multiple grades were in one room and older students helped the younger students,"said Wilson, who retired from teaching in 2011.

It was a gift and when you receive a gift, you have to take care of it.- Kathryn Wilson, New BrunswickHistorical Society

"It's a whole different ballgame today, so it's a good thing to remember what it used to be like and it sort of represents that era."

When the buildingwas donatedto the city as a delayed centennial project and moved from Gagetown, it was restored and filled with furniture and books from that period to serveas a school museum and tourist attraction on CarmarthenStreet, just south of King Street East, city records show.

"It was a gift and when you receive a gift, you have to take care of it," said Wilson.

City spokeswoman LisaCaissiesaidthe city is "making every effort to re-home the school house," which now sits along Water Street. Ithas been used for everything from a visitor information centre to a bicycle rental shop and storage facility for the BeaverTailsfood truck over the years.

Staff contacted the teachers' associationto see if they were interested in the building, and to advise them of the city's plans.

"They informed us that they do not have a need or suitable location for the schoolhouse,"Caissiesaid in an email.

The city has also "reached out through other channels," trying to find a third party to move and take ownership of the building, she said without elaborating.

'Handful' of interested parties

The call out to the public for interest, issued Tuesday afternoon, has already generated a "handful of responses" and staff will work with interested parties to "ensure a successful outcome."

The property the schoolhouse sits on is part of the former Coast Guard site the provincial government plans to purchase from the city for the new museum building.

Two other "aged and vacant structures" the former shops and buoy building also need to be removed as part of site preparations and are slated for demolition, said Caissie.

Although the land deal with the province isn't expected to close until "on or beforeSept. 30," possibly after the Sept. 24 provincial election, and federal funding for museum construction has not yet been secured, the city has contractual obligations to have the site ready for development under the option of purchase and sale agreement, she said.

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Wright said he's "disappointed" with the short notice the city has provided, but appreciated at least havingan opportunity to try to find a solution.

He and Wilson have both been making calls, hoping to save the historic schoolhouse, possibly by finding a temporary location and companies willing to move it for free.

Wright and Wilson have bothbeen involved in previous efforts to save the structure when it was threatened by other proposed developments.

In 2013, another 19th century building,Barbour's General Store, was relocated to the Saint Andrew's Society Bicentennial Green across the street, at the foot of King Street, where it serves as a museum, visitor information centre and Saint John tour desk.

One ideathey're exploring for the old schoolhouse is incorporating it into the new museum, he said.

New Brunswick Museum officials werenot aware of the city's plans to give away or demolish the old schoolhouse, according tocommunications and marketing managerCaitlinGriffiths.

"We're certainly looking into it," she said, adding she hopesto be able to offer further comment on Thursday.

Needs repairs

All costs and work associated with relocating the old school housewould be the responsibility of the new owner, the expression of interest advises.

Structurally, the schoolhouse is in poor condition, saidCaissie.The original chimney has been removed from the inside. "The floor is rotting and sits on the ground. There are no window sills, and the roof is in need of repair."

The bright red clapboard siding "is also in rough shape in several spots."