CAPE CHARLES, Va. — For Dianne Davis, opening the front door of the Rosenwald School in Cape Charles is a trip down memory lane.
Davis attended the school from 1956 to 1962.
“I remember just coming with the teachers who are welcoming," Davis said. "I remember Mrs. Alice, who seems to have taught everybody."
She has plenty of memories of her time there and is glad to see the school being renovated.
“It’s something not only for the African Americans, it’s something that will be beneficial for all of us here in the town of Cape Charles, as well as in the community around, because of the fact that they can come and have activities here," Davis said.
The school was built in 1928 for African Americans and was used until 1966, offering first through seventh grade.
The Cape Charles Rosenwald School Restoration Initiative is spearheading the renovation project.
“This will be a multi-generational educational and workforce development hub for Northampton County and for the region," said CCRSRI President Tevya Williams Griffin. "We want to make sure that we provide opportunity and hope for people living on the shore.”
Griffin said preserving history is also important.
“We don’t want to tear the building down," Griffin said. "We want to show that things can be resurrected."
Specifically, a variety of classes and even a kitchen will be available at the school.
"We'll partner with the community college that's in Accomack County and they will provide classes," Griffin explained. "We will also partner with various different business and they will offer workforce development training. We will also have a commercial kitchen and that kitchen will be able to be used by entrepreneurs who don't want to pay, or don't have the capital to pay, for a brick and mortar location."
Beth Walker is the project manager.
“Fortunately, the building is very structurally sound," Walker said.
She said the $1 million grant the organization received from the Virginia Housing and Community Development’s Industrial Revitalization Fund will be used for much of the interior work.
“By November, we expect to have a nice, clean, solid building envelope and that’s when we’ll start using our IRF grant funds to come in and bring in all new mechanical, electrical, plumbing, technology systems," said Walker.
A new roof has also been put on the building.
Walker said she is also hopeful an endowment can be set up for the building and eventually work can be done to create space for outdoor events and recreation on the rest of the property, including the roughly six and a half acres of land donated by the town of Cape Charles.
"Overall, it's about a $3.2 million project and that includes the purchase of the building," said Walker. "We have a few board members who have provided no interest bridge loans to us, so we will get the doors open by the spring of 2025. Now, they want to recoup that investment, so we still need to raise the money to pay them back."
Davis said the work is generating a lot of interest in the community.
“We have a long way to go, but we’re just appreciative and thank the Lord for blessing us to get this far," said Davis.
All of the work is expected to be complete and the building open in the spring of 2025.
