As an Old Towne resident since 1987, I have to admit being relieved in 1997 when the Old Towne Orange Historic District joined the list of historically protected properties on the National Register of Historic Places.  Knowing that all of the buildings within the district are protected from demolition by the listing assured me that the area was headed towards long-term preservation, and that I wouldn’t have to see the loss of buildings with historical significance.

The National Register is once again coming in useful as the historic Killefer Grade School, which sits outside of the Old Towne boundaries, is likely to soon join the list thanks to the efforts of members of the Old Towne Preservation Association (OTPA).  The 1.7-acre site located at 541 North Lemon Street opened in 1931 and was used by the Orange Unified School District (OUSD) for more than 60 years before becoming occupied by Santiago Canyon College until 2004—sitting empty since then.

The school is of historic significance because it was one of the first in California to voluntarily integrate classes for Caucasian and Hispanic children before it became mandatory by law, says Jeff Frankel, OTPA preservation chairman and past president.  Featuring Mission Revival architecture, the school was constructed in the Cypress Barrio and initially served Caucasian children, while the Cypress Street School down the street served Hispanic children.  The school is named for teacher Lydia Killefer, who was named principal of the school when it opened.

“In 2008, the school board marked the building as surplus property, which meant it could then be sold and used by developers,” says Frankel.

Last February, the school board decided to put the school up for sale for a minimum bid of $2.4 million, and in April they voted to sell to the highest bidder.  Several bidders came forth, including the Olson Co., a developer that bid $5.1 million.  In June, Frankel noted the impending sale and surmised that if the Olson Co. purchased the school, it would most likely remove the historic building in order to build housing.  This propelled Frankel to go to the OTPA board and propose that the organization work to get the building put on the historic register.

“Everyone agreed that we should take on the task, so we hired a consultant to complete the required application in order to get onto the register,” says Frankel.  “He feels confident that the site will be eligible.”

Since then Olson Co. has backed out of the deal, which means that the school district will continue down the list of bidders until one accepts.  The next three on the list are developers and the final name is Chapman University.

“Chapman University is most likely the best fit for the site, because they’ve been sympathetic to historic resources in the past, and we at the OTPA know that they’ll restore and rehabilitate the building.  If one of the other developers wants to tackle an adaptive reuse of the building, that’s fine, too,” says Frankel.  “Our goal is to save this historic building.”

For more information, visit www.OTPA.org.