American Legion members hope to transform old school

Nov. 15—FORT GIBSON — An old high school could find new life as a community resource and event center through Frank Gladd American Legion Post 20.

The rock building at the corner of Poplar Street and East Street was built in 1940 as a Works Progress Administration project. Fort Gibson High School moved out of the building in 1970, Post Financial Officer Tim Smith said.

"This would be awesome to be brought back to life while people who went to school there are still alive," Smith said. "It's been here for too long not to have someone save it. It would cost you millions of dollars to build a new building like this."

The post seeks to convert the building, which is at least 16,000 square feet, into The Rock Event Center. Post Commander Danny Gross said the building used to be called The Rock.

Smith said the Legion hopes to move the post to this larger building, plus use it for a food pantry, service office for veterans benefits, emergency operations center, and an event center for weddings, banquets and concerts.

"Structurally, the building is in awesome shape," he said. "It's just internally, the guts need to be totally redone."

Part of the building was remodeled and modernized when First Baptist Church used it for a few years, Smith said.

"This portion can be operational within 90 days," Smith said. "We think within 90 days we can have a food pantry and a room available for bingo, reunions. Everything else could take a year or two."

The rest of the building has been stripped to the wooden framework, with electric lines and plumbing fixtures removed.

The post is going after a $750,000 loan to acquire the building from its current owner, Smith said. Closing could be in late December to mid-February.

"I don't think that will be enough for everything, but it will be enough to get this building secured, the roof done, the windows done, get a hole in the gym wall blocked in," he said. "We have a bid to replace the roof, about $100,000."

He said the Legion will start aggressively raising money once they get into the building.

"We got some grant money and we have some people who are working on and discussing significant donations by the end of the year," Smith said. "Once we get in here, I think the funding will become a little easier."

An old gym could be a main space that can be used for larger events, such as proms, weddings, concerts or anniversaries, he said.

The gym still has a stage on one side and a sloped floor for bleachers on the other.

Gross said the gym ceiling "kind of reminds me of the inner workings of a wooden boat."

The legion also plans to build a commercial-level kitchen in the building. The current post building is used as a senior nutrition site for lunches.

Bathrooms and showers can be in another part of the school building.

"We hope to have this set up as an emergency operations center," Smith said. "If another disaster happens — a flood or tornado — we can have a washer-dryer, showers."

Blue Star Mothers can have their own room. The old school even has a built-in safe. Smith said the honor guard could store its rifles in it.

Gross said the legion hopes to use the old hallway as a museum.

"We want to hang old pictures of the school, the town, American Legion stuff," Gross said.

A smaller block building by the old school can be used for Wreaths for Fallen Heroes and Trail of Honor offices and storage, Gross said.

"We'll be able to store everything inside one location," he said.

You can help

—To help Frank Gladd American Legion Post 20 raise money to buy and renovate the old Fort Gibson School, you may contribute online at https://gf.me/v/c/3vq/buy-and-renovate-the-old-highshool. Information: (918) 770-8010 or (918) 772-0013.