Lincoln Building in Jackson makes organization's historic peril list

The Jackson school building once serving the district's segregated black students has been named to the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation's Places in Peril list for the second year in a row, but school district officials say the building is not in immediate danger.

Lincoln School, near the intersection of South Oklahoma and West Jefferson streets in Jackson, is one of 15 properties on the not-for-profit's list, which advocates for the preservation of historically significant places. The Lincoln School is the only property in Cape Girardeau County on the list.

Lincoln School was built in 1947 and was remodeled to house administrative offices about two years after the Jackson School District's integration in 1953, according to documentation provided by Missouri Preservation.

The building has not been used for several years, Jackson superintendent John Link said, in part because its construction poses significant barriers to productive renovation.

"We've looked at that building several times," Link said. "Four years ago, we brought architects in to see what could we use it for and how could we make it up to date."

Making the building's split-level design handicap-accessible, he said, likely would cost more than taking the building down and starting over.

"Even to make it a historic building," Link said. "That would mean investing more money into it than it would be financially worth."

There are not, however, any plans to condemn or demolish the building, Link said. He also said while the school board might entertain the idea of selling the property if approached by a prospective buyer, there would be little incentive to sell, considering how central the Lincoln School property is relative to the rest of the school district property.

"We have no plans for that building," he said.

"We appreciate the history and tradition of all Jackson schools," Link said. "And we've preserved the history and tradition of the older schools. If there's a way to preserve that building, we'd like to be part of that conversation, but nobody has reached out to me personally."

Link said the school district is focused on completing a demographic study update to determine a list of priorities.

"We did a really good job of addressing our elementary needs in the last bond issue," he said, adding the needs of grades 5 through 12 likely will come to the fore when the study is completed. "We're just trying to gather data and information right now," he said.

tgraef@semissourian.com

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