Fourth Ward to host discussion

IF YOU GO

What: First annual State of the Fourth Ward School Address

When: 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday

Where: Fourth Ward School, Virginia City, third floor assembly room

VIRGINIA CITY - The Fourth Ward School Foundation will present its first State of the Fourth Ward School address Saturday, and supporters are seeking the public's help in making decisions that will shape the future of the historic building.

"Every year we have a review process like most non-profit organizations, but this is the first time we've put out a public invitation to this extent," the school's executive director Mark Preiss said.

The address is a good time to list the school's accomplishments as well as discuss its future role in the community, he said.

The community spearheaded efforts to save the building as a monument to the history of the rich Comstock mining district, and ultimately decided on its role as a contemporary center for cultural activities. It's been a struggle that has included the efforts and dedication of many for more than five decades.

In 1950, the Reno Painters Union gave the sagging exterior a new coat of paint. In 1965, the state Legislature approved spending $15,000 to once again take care of exterior repairs. That didn't cover costs, so a local contractors corporation donated the labor and materials to shore up the old building from 1966 to 1969.

In the mid-1980s, a private party suggested converting the top three floors of the building into apartments, and that's when many in the community, including alumni of the old school, took particular note of the need to protect its historical status.

"A lot of members of the community, especially Fourth Ward School alumni, were very opposed to private development," Preiss said. "School superintendent Hugh Gallagher and Bill and Margaret Marks were instrumental. That's when Storey County commissioners appointed a board of trustees to create a report listing recommendations for goals, policies, and use of the building."

One floor was reopened as a museum in 1986. Since then, the project has been gaining momentum, and the list of accolades have been piling up.

Listed on the National Register of Historic places, the school has been included in an A&E cable television special, and a model of the school is being featured in the White House Red Room during the holiday season.

The building has been recognized as the number one preservation project by the Nevada Commission for Cultural Affairs for the last four years, and was one of 62 projects in 24 states to receive a grant from the millennium initiative, "Save America's Treasures."

With the $639,271 grant plus matching funds, an exterior facelift was started in May 1999. The roof, eaves, and windows were restored, and the building was painted with its original color scheme.

The historic building currently opens its doors to a wide variety of events for the community and its tourists as well as housing permanent exhibits, workshops, and performance spaces. More than 42,000 visitors came in 1999, from May to October.

But renovation is far from complete.

The third floor assembly/performance space is undergoing a $414,000 renovation, scheduled to be completed in April 2001. Once completed, it will be available for a wide range of events including conferences, artist workshops, dinners, and wedding receptions. The building is open from May to October, but once the third floor is done programs will extend to a full season. Next year's programs will include a private tour of the grounds of Sutro.

Construction on north tower water closets and balconies is slated for July of 2001, and plans also include an archives and public resource center on the first floor. The original three-story tower and two walkways were torn down in the 1960s.

Built in 1876, the four-story, 16-room school was designed to honor the nation's centennial and was given to the state of Nevada in celebration of the nation's 100th birthday. It closed in 1936 and sat vacant for 60 years until renovation began in 1986.

When the school was built, the population of Virginia City was at its peak of about 20,000 and pupils were attending more than four such schools, which gave the school its name.

On Saturday, a continental breakfast is scheduled for 8:30 a.m., and review and planning for 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the third floor assembly room.