Longfellow School headed for demolition

By Leslie McCartney of The Montana Standard - 09/07/2006

The Butte school district will declare the long-closed Longfellow School, 1629 Roosevelt Ave., as surplus property this month, paving the way for its demolition.

“Structurally, it’s in disarray. The roof has collapsed and in areas water is getting in,” said J.R. Richardson, district business manager.

The boarded-up building was built in 1917 with additions in the 1950s and 1960s. It also contains asbestos and experts have advised the district to remove the building entirely. Even an idea to save the Longfellow sign was vetoed by a consultant.

“The firm told us to demolish this and not salvage anything,” Richardson said.

Demolishing the building, which was closed in 2001 due to enrollment declines, could cost around $100,000. The district will pay for the demolition, but administrators hope to recoup the cost by selling the land, which could be used for residential housing.

“It’s prime real estate location,” Richardson said.

The 32,703-square-foot Longfellow School building sits on around two acres of land.

The district attempted to solicit a buyer for the building in 2003, but had no takers. The district deeded a small portion of the Longfellow land to the county to accommodate a baseball field.

“It’s already been declared surplus once,” he added.

Butte-Silver Bow Commissioner Wally Frasz lives next to the Longfellow and said that he and neighbors he’s talked to support the district’s idea.

“I think myself that it’s a pretty good plan,” Frasz said, adding that the building has been vandalized. Also, the shape of the building, plus an antiquated heating system, makes it a costly building to operate, even by a nonprofit group, he said.

Frasz said he would like to see a developer build houses on the site, much like the nearby Brandon-Legg development which has spruced up the neighborhood.

“We’d like to see curbs and gutters and not just piecemeal,” he said. Infilling with homes would also bring in more tax money and take Longfellow off the district’s plate.

“It looks like a win-win situation to me,” he said.

The declaration on the building is on the Butte school board’s Sept. 18 meeting.

Reporter Leslie McCartney may be reached via e-mail at leslie.mccartney@lee.net.