Save the historic Boynton Beach High School or demolish the structure? A tough decision for the city and residents

Today, in the Post's 'Point of View' section, Janet DeVries points out why the building is historic and why it is important to save the 88-year-old structure. Think about all the young people who passed through the school's doors through much of the 20th century. Those students were sons and daughters of the people that first populated south Florida and decided to live and raise families here. She is correct in pointing out that the building is one of a few nonresidential structures remaining from the Florida boom era of the 1920's.

Historic preservation is a very expensive proposition but there are examples that it can be done and the results can be spectacular. If Boynton Beach decides to go ahead with preserving the structure the community will need to be educated about the process: the time, funds, and the experts needed are just a few that come to mind. Hopefully those that want to preserve the building are searching for any grants available, both state, federal, and private.

A word of caution going forward: the residents of Boynton Beach are not fairly informed when the Lake Worth Casino building is used as an example of what is possible—as I've written about extensively on this blog the original historic structure at the Lake Worth beach was 94% demolished.

I have always thought that the building's prominent location near Boynton Beach's City Hall would make it an excellent candidate for a community center, assembly area and a place to hold events. Many people attending those events would likely have some ties to the building as a local school, either by attending there themselves, or through other friends and family.

This whether-or-not-to-save this building has been going on for a long time, at least 20 years or more. Each year that passes see another wave of preservation efforts or the prospect of demolition, all depending on the political winds blowing through the city at the time. The building is protected by the city's historic preservation ordinance, but if the building were to be demolished those protections will be removed.

The city and its residents have a very tough decision to make and I wish them the best.

The pictures I took above were from 2014. I encourage you to go by the area, see the building as it sits and think of imaginative ways to reuse the structure if that is the route the city chooses. Here is a link to the Facebook page for Save Historic Boynton Beach High.