Jarrell community upset after historic 1916 building demolished

JARRELL, Texas (KXAN) — The Jarrell Independent School District said structure problems lead to the tearing down of its '1916 Building' which once served as the city's high school.

Renovation and preservation of the building was approved by voters in a May 2021 bond election, but now that the building is gone some say they would have voted differently if they knew demolition was a possibility.

Citizens took to social media to share their outrage at finding out the building had been torn down.

In a weekly video update posted to the district's YouTube page on Monday, Superintendent Dr. Toni Hicks addressed the demo.

She said crews discovered issues with the structure during early renovation work on the building.

"The building had to be dismantled for safety reasons. In fact, when construction began, the roof tresses collapsed," Hicks said.

Hicks said preserving the history of the structure is still at the core of this new build.

Bricks from the original structure are being saved to rebuild the façade of what will host a new administrative building for the district.

Jarrell ISD said it has been transparent through the re-drafting process on the 1916 Building and has reconfigured these plans in public meetings.

The district asks the public to attend a community meeting to learn more history of the building and what's next for the project. The meeting is set for Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. at the Jarrell Annex at 506 N. 5th Street in Jarrell.