BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) – The former Montvale School along Route 460 in Bedford County has sat closed since 2014, but just last month, the county announced it received a $1 million grant from the USDA to help restoration efforts. The former school was built in 1930 and was the area’s first high school.
“Based on what people have told us, all this wainscoting, which is the stuff underneath the chair rail that’s peeling, is original. The doors are original. This cabinetry is original,” said Roni Sutton, as she gave WFXR a tour of the building. Sutton is the president of the Montvale School Preservation Foundation.
When the school was built 95 years ago, it was the first high school in the area, allowing students to go beyond the sixth grade. The building experienced a fire in the 60’s, and then was an elementary school after that until the 1990’s. The county’s park and recreation used the building until 2014.
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“The people in Montvale, many of whom went to school here, have a lot of sentimental attachment to this building,” said Sutton. “I like to see these buildings that have historical significance saved as opposed to torn down. There are a lot of people who just love this building, and they want to see it preserved.”…