Carver School Cultural Center Board holds groundbreaking to mark beginning of renovations
Fulton Sun31 Oct 2024Emily O’leary Eoleary@fultonsun.com
After years of work behind the scenes, the George Washington Carver School is finally being renovated into the Carver Apartments.
The George Washington Carver School Cultural Center Board held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of renovations on Wednesday afternoon at the school.
Carver School, located at 906 Westminster Ave. in Fulton, is being renovated into an affordable senior housing.
“Today is a historic day, just like it was on November the 13th, 1937 when Dr. George Washington Carver came to Fulton to honor us with his presence to dedicate this school named after him,” Victor Pasley, member of the George Washington Carver School Cultural Center Board said.
Mayor Steve Myers said the renovations will enhance not only the area, but the City of Fulton as a whole.
“We’re looking at doing some things over here too to enhance this whole community,” Myers said.
He said the project would not be where it is today without the George Washington Carver School Cultural Center Board.
“These people have not (given) up,” Myers said, adding “They worked and worked and kept working. When they were told no, that didn’t even phase them. They continued to move forward.”
Project Background and Outline
Jason Maddox owns MACO, the company that now owns the Carver School and is the general contractor for the project.
Maddox said the board reached out to MACO about potential renovations in 2018, but the project was dropped due to timing restraints.
“We talked and we decided that we would just continue to look at various options that may come available to help us push forward,” Maddox said.
The board signed an option contract with MACO in 2019, but the project was put on the back burner for a second time during the pandemic, Maddox said.
“Fast forward to 2021, and we discover ways that we can couple some funding sources together and make the deal financially feasible,” Maddox said.
MACO submitted a funding application to the Missouri Housing and Development Commission (MHDC) in 2021, but the project’s application was denied.
“We worked really hard on it, we had a really strong application that scored very well. Unfortunately, MHDC already had their funding priorities in place,” Maddox said.
MHDC denied two tax credit applications for the project, but the third application was approved.
“So after four years of hard work, we finally made it to the start line,” Maddox explained.
The design process began after the project was selected for funding, which included engaging with a historical consultant.
“We have to then submit the plans to the State Historic Preservation Office, the National Park Service to ensure that we’re complying with all the historical requirements, and that’s a lengthy process,” Maddox explained.
MACO closed on financing earlier this year and officially acquired the Carver School from George Washington Carver School Cultural Center Board in September.
Maddox anticipates the project will be complete “if the weather cooperates, hopefully by mid to late summer.”
History of Carver School
The school was dedicated by Carver himself in 1937. The day before dedicating the school, Carver gave a presentation at Westminster College.
“He told the students that each of them had sufficient equipment to make a success in life. If they have the ambition and desire to use it properly. The equipment he was referring to was their hands and their brains,” Pasley said, adding “There is so much for us to learn from his incredible advice that Dr. Carver offered to the students of Westminster College in 1937.”
Carver School was integrated by the Fulton Board of Education in 1970. The school later housed Fulton Public Schools’ sixth-grade class until it closed in 1982.
“On that day, individuals began the work of preserving this historic site,” Pasley said, adding “The history of all the starts and stops (of preservation attempts) is not well documented, but all the efforts were well intended.”
Carver School was designated on the National Register of Historic Sites in December 1996. The building qualified for state and federal tax credits because it was a designated historical site.
“That was a major accomplishment, and we would not be here today had they not done that,” Pasley said.
The George Washington Carver School Cultural Center Board was founded eight years ago to explore repurposing Carver School.
Pasley said the community’s love for the school runs deep. For years, the school housed civic group meetings, sporting events,
“Those of us that attended Carver School from 1937 until it was integrated in 1970 believe Carver (School) was everything to us. It wasn’t just a school, it was a community center where things happen,” Pasley said, adding “Carver School was a fun place to learn and, just as important, a place to celebrate our cultural heritage.