The structural integrity of the concrete foundation of Parker School is key to whether it can be restored, according to Don Rice, a Saskatoon resident hoping to have the building designated a municipal heritage site.
Located a mile east of Highway 312 between Hepburn and Waldheim, Parker School is one of the few original one-room country schoolhouses still standing on its original site. The first classes in the school were held in the fall of 1920, the last students passed through its doors in 1959, and it was permanently closed in 1966.
Rice’s grandmother was the first teacher at the school from 1920 to 1922.
A celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the school’s opening was held in the fall of 2020, with several former students and teachers attending the event. An article on Parker School appeared in the November 26, 2020 edition of the Gazette.
A campaign to raise funds to restore the former Parker School is currently underway. Updates on the campaign are posted at www.facebook.com/ParkerSchool/.
Rice said there is considerable interest from people in the area for restoring the building. But, he added, those restoration efforts can only go ahead if the building itself is structurally sound.
“Right now, I’m waiting for a structural engineer to come and assess the foundation of the old school,” said Rice. “That’s critical. If the foundation is still good then we can go ahead.
“But if it’s not solid, then that raises very serious concerns.”
Rice said preliminary assessments by knowledgeable people so far suggest the building, which has stood empty for over six decades, can be repaired.
But, he cautions, there needs to be a serious, comprehensive analysis done before any repair work begins.
“I want to make sure the foundation is solid before any money is put into this,” he said. “I’m expecting to have that assessment done in the next few weeks, and we’ll know better how to proceed after those results are in.”
Rice said there is progress on other fronts, however.
“We have a second edition of the Parker School History Book, which was written in 1982 by former teacher Bertha Thiessen,” said Rice. “The book contains all the original material from the first edition, plus 34 pages of additional material.”
Information on how to order the book can be found on the group’s facebook page.