Exterior Restoration and Interior Rehabilitation of Historic Ault High SchoolSHF Project Numbers 99-M2-021, 01-01-042, 03-01-063, 05-01-018, and 06-02-065
The building sat vacant until the mid-1990s, when the Board of Education considered demolishing it; however, community opposition and a growing student population led the Board to decide to restore the building and return it to use as a school. In 1999, A+E Design Associates completed an SHF-funded Historic Structure Assessment and Preservation Plan that became the basis for four additional grants from the State Historical Fund. Work included upgrading mechanical, electrical, and data systems with new wiring and cabling concealed behind baseboards or carefully channeled into existing plaster that was then repaired to original appearance. Floor, wall, and ceiling finishes were repaired and restored as were the corridors, classrooms, built in fixtures and casework, and the main entry doors. The most dramatic change was the installation of new double hung windows that exactly replicate the historic windows that had been replaced in the 1970s. The entire restoration project was completed for approximately $135 / square foot. Thanks to the community’s commitment, grants from the Colorado Department of Education and the State Historical Fund, and the efforts of former Superintendent Dennis Scheer, the entire project team, and current Superintendent Robert Ring, historic Ault High School is ready to welcome a new generation of Ault students. |
Ault High School, designed by prominent regional architect Sidney G. Frazier, functioned as Ault’s only high school from 1921 until 1976 and then as the junior high school until 1992. Constructed in 1921, the building is a prominent visual landmark in Ault and is listed in the State Register of Historic Properties.