Preservation, Not Modernization, Guides Historic School Restoration.
Photos courtesy of the Plant City History & Photo Archives
More than 110 years after students first walked through its doors, the Plant City High School Community Center (Historic 1914 High School Building) is entering a new chapter in its preservation story.
The city is moving forward with nearly $2 million in exterior stabilization work aimed at protecting the landmark structure and preserving a piece of Plant City’s heritage for future generations.
The city commission recently approved a contract with Specialized Property Services Inc. for the next phase of repairs. Following the completion of the bidding process, the city and contractor have entered the preparation and mobilization phase before construction begins.
The upcoming work follows the recent completion of roof repairs designed to protect the historic building from one of its biggest threats: water intrusion. The roof project was funded through a $1.5 million Hillsborough County grant dedicated to improvements at the building and was completed at a cost of $446,844.
The next phase will focus on strengthening the building’s exterior envelope, including replacing deteriorated windows and doors, repairing brick mortar, removing vegetation growing along exterior walls and restoring damaged wood features such as facade elements and columns.
The purpose of the project is preservation, not modernization.
“These repairs are intended to stabilize the building by protecting it from further moisture penetration through rotted wood, missing mortar and other means,” City Manager Bill McDaniel said. “These repairs are the natural follow-on to the roof replacement/repair that was just completed.”
The project carries an estimated cost of $1,977,506. Funding will come from a combination of Hillsborough County grant dollars and Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) funds. The county grant will contribute $1,053,156, while $924,350 will come from CRA funding.
Construction is expected to take approximately 548 calendar days from the notice to proceed, or about 18 months.
The 1914 Historic School Building stands as a reminder of an era when education was becoming a cornerstone of Plant City’s growing community.
Built in 1914, the structure served generations of local children during a period when Plant City was expanding from a small agricultural community into a thriving city known for its strawberry industry, citrus groves and strong civic identity.
The school building was part of the city’s early investment in public education and became a familiar landmark for families throughout the community. Over the decades, it has represented more than classrooms and hallways, it has been a gathering place tied to the memories of generations of residents. Many local families have ties to the old school.
Today, city officials say the goal is to protect that history.
“The repairs themselves are all about preserving the building’s historic character,” McDaniel said. “Nothing is being changed about the ‘look and feel’ of the building.”
East Hillsborough Historical Society President Shelby Bender is pleased the much-needed repairs are moving forward. “Generations have passed through its halls, and this work will help prepare the building to welcome generations yet to come,” she said. “The citizens who supported its construction in 1914, at a cost of $40,000, could scarcely have imagined that a roof replacement alone would one day cost more than ten times that amount. As the EHHS has pledged since its founding in 1974, we remain committed to ‘Preserving the Past for the Future’.”
During construction, portions of the structure may be covered or protected, but officials said no architectural changes are planned. Instead, the work is intended to stabilize the building and provide a foundation for future restoration efforts.
Preserving a building more than a century old comes with challenges, and city officials acknowledge that historic structures often reveal surprises during restoration.
Several years ago, the city commissioned a detailed analysis of the building to identify areas needing attention and help guide future decisions.
“That analysis revealed some of the issues that would have been surprises further down the road,” McDaniel said. “That said, a large historic building like the 1914 HSB can be fully expected to deliver surprises that no study can hope to predict.”
While the current project focuses on the exterior, city leaders are also beginning conversations about the building’s long-term future.
The city plans to launch a community engagement effort to gather residents’ ideas about how the historic property could continue serving Plant City. “We want to hear from our community members regarding their vision for this historic building and how they think it can best serve Plant City and our residents moving forward,” McDaniel said.
Future interior renovations are expected to require a significant investment. The city is exploring potential grants and funding opportunities while seeking community input before making major decisions.
McDaniel said completing the exterior work is an important step in protecting the building while the city determines what comes next.
“Without these exterior repairs, the 1914 HSB would only continue to deteriorate,” he said. “This work gives the City a launching point and buys time for interior repairs and renovations.”
For now, the focus remains on preserving one of Plant City’s most recognizable historic landmarks and ensuring that a building that helped educate generations of residents remains part of the community’s story for generations to come.
