We have restored the doors and windows in two classrooms as well as in the building’s front entry. We are currently working on the complete restoration of one of the classrooms, and have begun work on cleaning and painting the exterior of the building. Check out the photos and videos of our progress so far.
There’s more progress being made at the Olive Branch High School! The latest renovation project involves dry walling both the SE classroom and the building’s front entry foyer. (Painting is scheduled to begin soon.) The work was done by Miami County Drywall and was partially funded by a grant from The Turner Foundation.
OBSPS is happy to report that restoration work at Olive Branch High School resumed on April 13, 2023 when the crew from Blind Eye Restoration of Columbus returned to Olive Branch and removed the southwest classroom windows and door for restoration. As with their work in the SE classroom and front entry, upon completion, the doors and windows will be brought back for re-installation in a few months. Funding in part is from a The Turner Foundation grant as well as donations from individuals, local businesses and alumni groups.
The final phase of the most current Olive Branch School restoration project was completed when Blind Eye Restoration returned to re-install the two newly-restored front entry doors on March 21, 2022. OBSPS thanks Lindsay Jones and her Blind Eye crew for another superb job!
As part of the most recent restoration project at Olive Branch High School, Blind Eye Restoration returned to re-install the two newly-restored front entry windows and transom on January 27, 2022. The front entry doors are still in the process of restoration and will be re-installed at a later date.
Restoration work at Olive Branch High School continues. On December 14, 2021 the crew from Blind Eye Restoration of Columbus returned to Olive Branch and removed the double front entry doors, transom and two windows for restoration. As with their work in the SE classroom, upon completion, the doors and windows will be brought back for re-installation in a few months. Funding in part is from The Turner Foundation as well as donations from individuals and alumni groups.
The crew from Blind Eye Restoration of Columbus completed the restoration of the outside entry door and windows from the SE classroom, and returned to re-install them on November 12, 2020. They look as good as they did in 1914, with only minor changes (a few broken panes of glass had to be replaced)! Note: The drop ceiling in that room had been removed previously. As noted, funding in part came from grants from The Turner Foundation, the Ohio National Road Association and individual donations.
Southeast classroom outside entry door before (left) and after restoration (right)
Southeast classroom windows before (left) and after restoration (right)
Southeast classroom showing dropped ceiling (Left). Shows dropped ceiling removed (Right).
As part of the ongoing restoration at Olive Branch High School, a crew from Blind Eye Restoration (Lindsay, Morgan and Nicole) came from Columbus on August 3, 2020 to remove the windows and outside door from the SE classroom. They will be restored and re-installed in the coming weeks = progress! Funding in part came from grants from The Turner Foundation and the Ohio National Road Association.
Here’s an UPDATE and a chance to DONATE! We made progress in 2018 on the southeast classroom restoration project at the historic Olive Branch School. The drop ceiling and florescent lighting have been removed; tile floor was scraped up; and the extra trim and bookshelves that were added over the years have also been removed. Exciting news – we discovered the old oak floor is beautiful! We have pictures of the changes posted below. Our next step in this SE classroom project is to have the windows repaired, glass replaced and the southeast (outside) door replaced. As you can see in this picture (above), the windows in the classrooms are quite large and this particular room has 2 walls of windows. We have contacted two companies and are still awaiting estimates for the windows. We anticipate this will not be inexpensive. However, taking care of the windows and the outside door will protect future improvements we make during the classroom remodel. You can help by donating today!
We are continuing our 3-year pledge FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN to help offset the cost of the SE classroom window/door project (see previous post). If you were kind enough to have made a donation in 2017, a 2018 year payment would be your second year, and your 2019 donation will be your third year. If you have not donated before, but would like to contribute to this specific fundraiser, you may start now (as the first of a three year pledge) or as a one-time donation. Note your preference and send your check (payable to OBSPS) to 9760 W. National Road New Carlisle, OH 45344. Or use our convenient online PayPal option via this website. Thank you for your support of our “little round school!”
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