WACO, Texas (KXXV) — In November, the city of Waco bought Indian Spring School as part of the Downtown Revitalization Project. Now, the building is set for demolition, with construction work expected to begin in April.
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The Indian Spring School property will serve a new purpose as part of the Barron's Branch District, which is the first phase of the 100-acre project.
Tom Balk with the city of Waco said the project will not forget its roots. The city is currently gathering oral history interviews to remember the stories of former students.
"We need to begin gathering those stories now because it's never too soon to collect in the words and voice of the people who lived it what was important about this place. What was life like?" Balk said.
The district recently provided an opportunity for alumni to return and walk through the building.
"It was fun engaging with alumni from the school. There was an opportunity that the district made available for alumni to come back and walk through the building and so folks that hadn't been there in decades, we had some that were excited to show us where they had written their name and it was still there," Balk said.
Balk and his team are hearing firsthand stories about the beginnings of the school and the difficulties of the time.
"It was an open space planned with some, some low dividers, and life was very different. In that experience, so it was, it was interesting to see what people brought to the fore and especially powerful to hear about the stories of the difficulty of the time. It was Waco's first integrated school," Balk said.
City officials are still discussing how the school's history will be physically incorporated into the new design.
"I think there's a great opportunity there for what is, what is the architectural expression that helps us tell the story, helps us get into telling the story of what this school site was. So I think, I think there's some architectural and design moves that um will take shape in the ballpark district right there at that edge where the building sits," Balk said.
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