School Viewing
Central High School Viewing Opportunity
Central Park Condominiums
Red Wing Central High School, Red Wing
Do you want to see the inside of the "new" old Central High?
Sarah Christianson's parents are moving in, and have offered our classmates the opportunity to visit on July 31st, 2010 from 1pm-3pm.
Please park in the lot on the 6th Street side (in front of new courthouse). Their unit number is 102.
If you are interested, please contact Sarah at:
651-338-8295 (cell)
sjc2171@comcast.net
History
The adaptive reuse of the former Red Wing Central High School into the Central Park Condominiums is an inspiring preservation victory and a model for the reuse of other historic schools across Minnesota. Constructed in 1916, the building functioned as a school until 1995 when Goodhue County acquired the property for the construction of a new judicial and law enforcement center. The historic school was slated for demolition to make room for a parking lot.
A 10-year battle ensued to save the building, which is a contributing property within the National Register-listed Red Wing Historic Mall District. The Red Wing Heritage Preservation Commission denied the county’s demolition request, and the building was eventually mothballed leading the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota to include the school on the 10 Most Endangered Historic Places list in 2004. That same year, Goodhue County advertised for developers interested in redeveloping the building. Community Strategies was selected for their proposal to restore/rehabilitate the former school building into 21 condominiums. The $7 million plus project involved a unique public/private partnership between Goodhue County, the City of Red Wing, the Red Wing Area Fund, and the developer. The developer was also able to take advantage of a federal tax deduction by donating a façade easement to the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota.
This creative private/public partnership is a model for other communities struggling to preserve historic school buildings and an example of how a historic building’s reuse can contribute to the economic health of a community’s downtown.
