Summary:
On October 16, 2007, the
Minnesota Historical Societies’ State Review Board for the National
Register unanimously approved the 1918 School’s nomination to the
national register. The nomination (see
the link on this webpage)
was written and submitted by Dan Hoisington of Hoisington
Preservation Consultants, Roseville, MN (http://www.edinborough.com/Publisher.html).
The nomination will now make its way through administrative channels
at the state level before being submitted to the National Park
Service in Washington D.C. The final review at the federal
level will take approximately 2 to 3 months. The Kasson
Alliance is working to find an economically viable reuse for the
historic school so this important part of Kasson’s historic heritage
can be preserved for future generations to use, admire and enjoy.
An important step in that process is the placement of the school on
the National Register which makes the redevelopment costs for the
school eligible for federal tax credits, grants and other investment
incentives. The nomination was submitted to the Minnesota
State Historic Preservation Office in August 2007.
Review Board Meeting:
Over one dozen members of KARE and 5 representatives from the city
of Kasson attended the review board meeting. The City of
Kasson was represented by Mayor Tim Tjosaas, Administrator Randy
Lenth, Planner Mike Martin, Library Board member Bonnie Adams and
the cities’ attorney Shelley Ryan. Susan Roth, State National
Register Officer, opened the discussion with a slide show
presentation of the school’s architecture and structural integrity
along with a discussion of the school’s unique history. Two
objection letters and a resolution from the city (see
the link on this webpage),
which were written by Mr. Lenth and the cities preservation
consultant Robert Vogel, were then read into the public record along
with a letter of support from a Kasson citizen. Mr. Hoisington
and Bonnie McDonald of the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota then
gave brief talks on why the school should qualify to meet the
National Register criteria. Kenton Spading, KARE Director,
spoke to the board in regards to the large base of citizen and
business support for the nomination. Mayor Tjosaas then
addressed the board with a review of the cities’ stance outlined in
the attached letters and resolution. He stated “demolishing
the School is in the public’s best interest”. Ms. Ryan urged
the board to delay their decision due to the fact that it could
affect the February 2008 court case during which a judge will hear
testimony on whether or not the school is an historic resource.
It was implied that the National Register approval would clearly
determine that issue.
Numerous review board members then commented on the nomination while
making it clear that their decision is based solely on whether or
not the school qualifies for the National Register based the
criteria spelled out in federal guidelines. They carefully
pointed out that the cities’ desire to demolish the building, and/or
the pending litigation, are not factors in their decision. The
board members went on to comment that some of Mr. Vogel’s register
eligibility comments did not align well with National Register
guidelines and that the building and the nomination were among the
finest they have seen for a school. Board member and historian
Dave Ebnet commented: “local history is as important as national
history due to the fact that it occurs where people are living and
spending their day-to-day lives so it is very important to recognize
it.” The board then voted to unanimously approve
forwarding the nomination up the chain for a final review.
In early 2007, KARE requested that the City of Kasson partner with
them to further investigate reuse options for the school. When
the city decided to open demolition bids on May 23, KARE filed a
legal action the same day to prevent the City
from demolishing the 1918-era school. A court hearing
was held on June 5th and the Honorable Judge Casey J.
Christian of Owatonna signed a court order on June 7th
granting KARE a temporary injunction to stop the demolition provided
KARE could post a $50,000 bond by June 19th. KARE
posted the bond on June 18th. As a result, the
injunction will remain in place until a February 11, 2008 court
trial during which the court will hear evidence as to whether the
school qualifies for protection under the state’s historic resource
law, and whether it should issue a permanent injunction preventing
the demolition.
Nomination Excerpts:
Some interesting school history was uncovered during the nomination
research process. The following is from Section 8 of the nomination
form (see the link on this webpage):
[After it was completed] The [Kasson School] building quickly won
plaudits. In early January 1919, R. B. McLean, a state school
inspector, and B. M. Gile, a supervisor for the federally-funded
Smith-Hughes agricultural school programs, visited and filed a
positive report. Later, H. H. Flynn, a state high school inspector,
also looked over the new building. The local newspaper reported,
these men all expressed their admiration for the beauty and
conveniences of the new building and all thought that Kasson has
every reason to be proud of their fine edifice.
No report was more enthusiastic than that of Samuel Challman, the
first state inspector of school buildings and probably the man most
knowledgeable about new school buildings in Minnesota. Typically a
tough-minded advocate of strict construction standards, Challman was
effusive in his praise of the new school. The Republican carried
news of his visit to Kasson in May 1919, noting:
Mr. S. A. Challman, state inspector of school buildings, made the
Kasson School a visit on Wednesday last and went into ecstasies over
the structure erected here the past year. He says there is nothing
equal to it in the state in the way of completeness and
architectural design. He wanted a photo of it so that he could use
it upon his letterheads. He stated that it was the first of its type
― three separate units, connected with a corridor, to be built in
the state, but said it would an ideal pattern for others who could
not resist the temptation when once they saw this model structure.
An editorial writer for the Rochester Post and Record also pointed
to the school as an example of the future of education in small-town
Minnesota: The era of the little red school house is rapidly
passing. We are now coming to the popularity of the consolidated
school, with its facilities for educational training. . For
architectural beauty and ornate simplicity the triple school
buildings of Kasson, with their artistic brick bond, their
well-balanced symmetry, and their spacious grounds will command the
admiration of everyone.
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