Historic Old Central High School Looks Into Repairs

The repairs could cost up to $24 million.

DULUTH, Minn. – After their recent meeting, the Duluth Schools Business Committee recognized the various deferred maintenance projects that the district is dealing with as part of its 10 year facilities plan.

One project in desperate need of renovation is the Old Central High School, which has been an iconic and historic part of Duluth for decades.

The school now houses various programs, including adult education courses, the area learning center and district offices.

Right now the district could be facing $24 million for various repairs, including the iconic roof and stonework, that could be big issues for the district by 2024.

Duluth school district superintendent Bill Gronseth said on Wednesday that the district hasn’t ruled out leaving the historic central site in the future for a different location.

“While we do have the means to keep this up, over the next 10 years, is that the best use of school district funding or are there other entities that could keep up this building and have it serve different purposes,” Gronseth said.

The district plans on doing more research to better understand the maintenance issues many of the district buildings face and how much everything will cost.