STOW: City Council approved by unanimous vote (4-0) a request by the Stow Historical Society to move the historical Steward School from its current location at Young Road to Silver Springs Park at Thursday’s council meeting.
In an attempt to prevent demolition to a historical landmark, the Society has pulled all the stops to save the city’s last one-room schoolhouse by raising funds to move the building for the second time in its 130-year history.
The Society requested a conditional zoning certificate to move the one-room schoolhouse currently located at 5120 Young Road down the road to Silver Springs Park.
The former 1880’s era, one-room schoolhouse, known as the Stewart School, has been offered the Stow Historical Society by the Metroparks.
The building itself is approximately 26’ by 36’ in area.
The Society intends to relocate the structure to a grassed area approximately 25 feet south of the existing parking lot in the Heritage Reserve Area of Silver Springs Park.
The planning commission recommended approval of this project.
Currently, the Society needs to raise $45,000 to move the structure to its new location and an additional $30,000 to restore it.
According to historical society member Robert Flower, the society has raised $40,000.
At Tuesday’s planning committee meeting, Flower said that fundraising for the project is going very well.
"We had a successful start in October and we've collected ever since. We applied for a grant for $10,000 and got it and we got an equal grant from the rotary as well,” Flower said.
Flower said the society needs $75,000 to relocate and refurbish the schoolhouse.
Donations are being accepted by mail at: Old Schoolhouse Fund, Stow Historical Society, P.O. Box 1425, Stow, OH 44224.
