Azusa "Old Schoolhouse" set to find new home
The "Old Schoolhouse" in Azusa will be on the move Thursday, heading for its new home at Veterans Freedom Park.
The rundown yet historic schoolhouse, which is now located on wheels, will be relocated from North Angeleno Avenue to its new home at 213 E. Foothill Boulevard, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
Instead of demolishing the property, which was first built in 1903, it will forever be part of the city's history.
The former kindergarten house served many purposes during its early years for nonwhite residents of Azusa.
"When I look at this I see a lot of stories. A lot of stories," Azusa historian Jeffrey Cornejo Jr. told CBSLA Reporter Tena Ezzeddine. "It's very interesting when you look back at the original records, when you see the two polling locations at the turn of the century. There was one for Americans at City Hall and one for the Mexicans at the kindergarten house."
One of the only single-room schoolhouses in the San Gabriel Valley, the landmark is now propped up on wheels and ready to roll.
Built in 1903, the schoolhouse was used to separate Mexican students from White students.
A $3 million grant from the recently approved state budget will allowing for this old schoolhouse to relocate and be restored at what the city plans to call "Historic Row."
"I would like to see it become a showcase facility, as well as, a polling place. So folks can come and participate in democracy that we so dearly love," Azusa Mayor Robert Gonzales said.
