South Bend schools wrestles with how to dispose of defunct Marquette, Greene, Eggleston

SOUTH BEND — A new South Bend schools committee tasked with determining what to do with a host of vacant or underused buildings will hold its second meeting this week.

Composed of three South Bend Community School Corp. board members — Kate Lee, Leslie Wesley and Stephanie Ball — the building disposition committee, in an initial meeting July 8, discussed challenges to the demolition of three empty buildings: the old Marquette School, the former Greene Intermediate Center and the defunct Eggleston Elementary School. Moving forward, the committee will also steer the district's decisions regarding Clay High School and Warren Elementary, which both have finished their final school year.

The school board voted 4-3 in favor of the three demolitions as part of its April 2023 decision to close Clay High School and consolidate students into fewer buildings in the face of lagging enrollment. But the estimated $2.5 million demolition plan faces multiple obstacles. What's more, committee members aired second thoughts about whether the buildings can be sold and salvaged for reuse.

The committee will meet again Friday, July 19, at 6 p.m. on the third floor of the administration building at 215 Doctor M.L.K. Jr Blvd. in downtown South Bend. Here's what to know about the three buildings recommended for demolition.

South Bend consolidation: Which schools change? Which stay the same? Where will kids go?

The old Marquette School

Kathy Michalski, who's lived across from the old Marquette Elementary school in northwest South Bend for more than 40 years, said she would hate to see the historic brick building torn down. Her oldest son was schooled there. She worked part-time in the cafeteria for years.

But she agreed with a half-dozen neighbors interviewed by The Tribune that the building has become somewhat of a ghost haunting the neighborhood since closing in 2011, when the district opened the new Marquette Montessori Academy next door.

The school district and South Bend city government — separate entities — are split on what should become of the old building, which was built in the 1930s as part of the federal Works Progress Administration. Its status as a local landmark, gained after a South Bend Common Council vote in 2007, means any attempted reuse would need the approval of the local Historic Preservation Commission .

Historic preservation: The 10 most endangered historic properties, according to South Bend preservation agency

School officials have made several pushes for its demolition since opening the new Montessori, hoping the lot could serve as green space for students and neighbors. But under city code, tearing down landmarks is strongly discouraged unless those structures pose a serious threat to public safety — as was the case with the South Bend Brewing Association building, demolished in 2022 when its brick façade seemed at risk of falling into the street.

Caleb Bauer, executive director of South Bend's Department of Community Investment, said the latest hope is for United Way of St. Joseph County to convert the old Marquette building into a OneRoof neighborhood center, similar to the one that opened last year on the southeast side.

After plans to reuse the site for low-income apartments failed to earn state funding , Bauer said, the city needs to exhaust its options before resorting to demolition.

"Let's fully explore that reuse opportunity," Bauer said. "If that’s viable, let’s go that route. If it's not viable, then the administration would be open to looking at other alternatives, including demolition."

United Way CEO Jamie Cox confirmed the nonprofit is considering the old Marquette School, along with other sites, for a neighborhood center on the far northwest side. But he said "we are a long way from being able to talk further about it because we haven't really done all our due diligence."

While the brick building's foundation is solid, a recent environmental assessment commissioned by South Bend schools reported that any proposed reuse would include upward of $2 million for remediation of asbestos and mold inside.

After a May 2 tour of the property, a consultant with Heartland Environmental Associates wrote that "it does not appear that the salvaging of this structure is feasible, and demolition of the building is the only practical recourse for the SBCSC."

Meanwhile, the school district keeps the building boarded up. An alarm system aims to ward off intruders and vandals. Kareemah Fowler, the corporation's chief financial officer, and the members of the building disposition committee were united in their push to pursue demolition.

"I would not want to see any of our buildings have any offices or community centers or anything on our building space," Wesley said, "because we need that green space for our students. We also need our green space for expansion if our (Montessori) program ... is very successful."

Neighbors were generally supportive of the two leading ideas for reuse. They were unanimous that the old ghost is scaring off new life in their neighborhood.

"It’s useless now," said Torreay Harris, who went to the school before it closed and lives a few doors down from Michalski. "If we're not going to do a historic building (renovation), I say get rid of it."

Greene Intermediate Center

A deal to disannex Greene Township , southwest of city limits, to the John Glenn School Corp. last year left South Bend schools officials responsible for the fate of the Greene Intermediate Center.

Closed to students since 2018, the building on Roosevelt Road has been leased to The History Museum for storage space over the past few years. While the property doesn't enjoy the legal protections of a historic landmark, the oldest portion dates back to 1930 , when the school first opened to students in the countryside.

South Bend schools officials hoped that John Glenn leaders would move to buy the building by a June 2024 deadline, Fowler said. Although that didn't happen, John Glenn Supt. Christopher Winchell told The Tribune last week that he's still vying to take over the old Greene site.

"There’s always been a desire for that building to come back into the possession of Greene Township residents or back into the possession of John Glenn schools as this de-annexation has taken place," Winchell said.

Members of the building disposition committee said they weren't in a rush to tear down Greene Intermediate. They suggested that, with the deadline passed, the building should be more widely advertised before demolition.

Fowler said the district shouldn't allow the Greene building to linger in its possession. Months ago, she said, South Bend schools paid about $8,000 to shore up the roof of the mostly vacant property.

"If we don't tear it down," Fowler said, "we're still responsible for the maintenance."

Schools: Studebaker building to house St. Joseph County Career Hub, and Clay High School to maintain some uses

Eggleston Elementary

Eggleston Elementary School, outside of South Bend city limits near the Indiana-Michigan state line, has been closed since 2018, when the district's Rise Up Academy alternative school moved to the old Perley school on Eddy Street.

Formally dedicated in 1966, according to St. Joseph County Public Library archives , the old Eggleston school has been used for storage over the past six years. Maintenance cost is a risk of owning this building as well, Fowler said. The district was out thousands of dollars after pipes froze and burst during a recent winter.

But one interested buyer is a Niles real estate firm, Mar-Vin Enterprises , whose leaders have done a walkthrough of the property. Reached by The Tribune, a representative said they're interested in the site but have "no definitive plans."

Committee members took the same stance as with the Greene Intermediate building: Before paying to demolish the site, court any possible developers by listing the Eggleston building on the market.

Email South Bend Tribune city reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com . Follow him on X: @jordantsmith09

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend schools wrestles with how to dispose of defunct Marquette, Greene, Eggleston