Clearwater is moving to redevelop the long-vacant North Ward Elementary School into a mix of office, retail, or affordable housing, with a formal call for developer proposals expected within the next couple of months.

Mayor Bruce Rector and Economic Development and Housing Director Chris Edwards outlined the concept at a community open house Thursday, July 30, at the 1915 property at 900 N. Fort Harrison Ave., the St. Pete Catalyst reported. The event, branded "Night at North Ward," drew alumni and neighbors to tour the empty red brick buildings and view historical artifacts assembled by the Clearwater Historical Society.

No single use has been selected.

Rector noted Clearwater's history spans only about 100 years. "We don't have a lot of it. So, we need to preserve what we have," he said.

The city bought the nearly two-acre campus from the Pinellas County School Board in April 2019 for $1.8 million. The property contains 28,040 square feet of heated space across three buildings: the original 1915 school, a 1926 two-story addition, and a 1945 cafeteria, according to city records. All three are slated for preservation and adaptive reuse.

Rowe Architects, a Tampa firm hired to assess the buildings, found the original 1915 structure in particularly good shape despite its proximity to the Intracoastal Waterway, with wood flooring and built-in storage cabinets still intact, 83 Degrees Media reported.

The northern portion of the site could accommodate new construction such as multi-family residential or mixed-use development, while the open lawn in front may be retained as green space. The property is zoned Downtown and allows up to 50 dwelling units per acre if developed as mixed-use.

North Ward opened as one of Pinellas County's first public schools in 1915, was racially segregated until the 1960s and 1970s, and permanently closed in 2009 due to low enrollment. It earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021 and was designated a Clearwater Historic Property in 2022.

The site sits between downtown's redevelopment boom to the south and the North Greenwood Community Redevelopment Area to the north, positioning it as a gateway along Fort Harrison Avenue.

Thursday's open house brought out alumni with vivid memories. Clark Greenleaf, who attended North Ward from 1962 to 1965, reconnected with a former classmate he hadn't seen in 60 years. He suggested the property could serve low-income housing or veteran programs. Irene Odell, who arrived at North Ward in the 1970s as a Greek-speaking immigrant child, recommended a shopping mall with antique stores as a nod to the school's past.

Allison Dolan, president of the Clearwater Historical Society, said the school was more than a building: "It was a community, family and home to thousands of children who still speak about the school with deep affection."

Assistant City Manager Al Battle told 83 Degrees Media in April, during the city's pre-marketing phase, that officials envision "a little bit of old, a little bit of new" for the site and cited Tampa's Armature Works as a model for adaptive reuse.

The formal developer solicitation is expected by early fall. No specific RFP release date or council vote has been announced.