The Little White School is on the verge of total accessibility according to representatives from Arts and Heritage St. Albert, the steward of the building that oversaw the project.
“The school will be ready for public and educational programs at the end of this month,” stated Ann Ramsden, the director of the MusĂ©e HĂ©ritage Museum.
Budgeted at more than $637,000, the two-year, two-phase project started in the summer of 2010. The work started with a focus on fixing and conserving the authenticity of the structure with exterior renovations and restorations including a new roof, plus work on the stucco siding, windows, doors, weeping tiles, roof and foundation to protect it from the elements.
The school was waterproofed and repainted before a 33.5-square-metre stylistically authentic new addition was constructed on the back of the structure to house an elevator to the basement. There, a fully accessible family washroom was created, making the facility completely barrier-free for the first time in its 64-year history.
Ramsden said there is still some additional interior work left on the to-do list, including some repainting and refinishing of the hardwood floor.
“In the longer term, what we’re hoping to do with the basement is we’re going to have a new storage area for programming materials and artifacts, and also a staff office area and a small kitchenette. That’s still to come.”
“We’re very pleased with how it’s looking. It maintains all the charm of the 1948 school. With the addition, we’re able to bring everybody into the school. It now has all of the modern amenities to enable it to function for everybody.”
Funding for the project came from all levels of government, Arts and Heritage’s reserves and private donors.
The school is an excellent example of a typical two-room rural school, like so many that were constructed around Alberta before and after the Second World War. However, it’s the only one that has been protected and is among the best preserved of the ones remaining.
Arts and Heritage hosts children's educational programming at the site and attendance typically exceeds 2,000 attendees per year.
Call 780-459-1194 or visit www.artsheritage.com to learn more.
