DEFIANCE, Ohio — A community has tried for over a year to save their historic high school building from demolition.
Last year, the Defiance City School district announced plans to demolish the old high school building, built in 1914.
But after strong public outcry, the district has begun plans to sell the old building to the city of defiance, who will have five additional years to find a developer for the project.
The crucial point of the agreement is that the Defiance Area Foundation has guaranteed to pay back the $300,000 to the Ohio Facilities commission money for the building demolition.
"It's more logical to have the city of Defiance, whose business is economic development, and our business is to educate students. And we were involved for a long time in the real estate business, and that's really not our comfort zone," said Defiance City Schools superintendent Mike Struble.
So the question is with the city and school district working to save their old high school building, why did demolition crews arrive this week and begin tearing things down?
Some of the state demolition money is being used, not to tear down the building, but make the property safer.
This week, crews began dismantling the old football field concrete stadium and the towering smokestack that had become untenable and a hazard to visitors.
"It's not insurable, the concrete is literally crumbling from the structure," said Struble.
The goal is to have the official agreement finalize for the city to purchase the building from the district for $1 at the next school board meeting.
"To some people it's sentimental, but personally despite generations of my family, myself included, went to school here, it's not really sentimental. It's just the fact that if you look at the building and you look at the architecture, it is absolutely something worth saving," said Defiance Mayor Mike McCann.
The partial demolition is expected to be complete by July 3.
