The restoration of Brentwood’s oldest schoolhouse is nearly complete after decades of delays.
The octagonal Modern Times Schoolhouse, which is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, was built in 1857 but fell into disrepair since closing more than a century ago.
The builders were part of a utopian settlement of about 150 people known as Modern Times. From 1851 to 1864, they lived on 90 acres in what is now Brentwood.
The octagonal building was used as a schoolhouse until 1907 and then as a private residence, according to Ellen Edelstein, president of Brentwood Historical Society.
More on the old schoolhouse
- The octagonal Modern Times Schoolhouse, listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, was built in 1857 by residents of Modern Times, a utopian settlement of about 150 people who lived on 90 acres in what’s now Brentwood.
- Efforts to restore the building have been ongoing since Brentwood Historical Society was chartered in 1992.
- The structure was moved onto a school district property in 1989.
Source: Brentwood Historical Society
In 1988, the Sisters of St. Joseph, who previously acquired the schoolhouse, donated it to the Brentwood Union Free School District and in 1989 the structure was moved to the same property as the district’s administration building.
“It’s a stubborn little building,” said Edelstein, who since 2012 has helped spearhead its restoration.
Schoolchildren pose in front of Modern Times Schoolhouse in the mid-1800s, a Brentwood structure that fell into disrepair before a renovation that now is nearly finished.
Credit: The Brentwood Historical Society
Stacy O’Connor, a school district assistant superintendent, said she expects the project to wrap up this fall after the building’s windows arrive.
In 2022, the school district took the lead on renewed restoration efforts. The project so far has cost around half a million dollars, with money drawn from the…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply