New life: Vacant Rosenwald school from early 1900s to be restored as community center
A special funding partnership will now help a historic African American school in the town of Wendell find a new purpose.
The original structure on Morphus Bridge Road in Wendell was one of the Rosenwald Schools, built in the early 1900s for Black students. A fire destroyed the structure long ago.
Later, a another school was built on the same site.
"This was the Carver School which was an African American school that dates back to the mid-1900s," said Rev. Asa Bell, Jr, pastor of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, which is next door to the old Carver School.
Bell’s congregation bought the dilapidated structure with a desire to give it a new life.
"This building has remained closed because of a lack of funding, but not for a lack of vision or desire," he said.
Now that vision will be realized due to a partnership starting with Wendell and Wake County leaders, plus surprise Federal funding initiated by NC District 2 Congresswoman Deborah Ross.
"There’s a huge vetting process in Washington D.C. and they qualified for one of the larger grants for $2-million for this project and it just warms my heart," said Ross.
It will take a lot of work. Inside, vandals have left their mark with broken windows and graffiti. Ceilings have caved in and so has part of a floor in the multi-purpose room.
Reverend Bell’s vision is preserving and rehabilitating the historic building to be reborn as a new community center.
"That will house programming, that will allow families on a continuum to reach their best selves, if you will; that will guide them towards self-sufficiency," said Bell.
Leaders here say it will be a great benefit for the town and all of Wake County. It may also be a source of healing in the immediate community.
"This is entirely a vision of this community. It’s to repair past wrongs. It’s to bring growth and hope to this side of Wendell," said Ross.
The project’s architect says it will take up to 6 months to decide on the design and then up to a year for the revitalized center to open.
