By Hayleigh Gowans

Staff Writer

Historic Wellwood Middle School at 700 S. Manlius St. in Fayetteville has been named the January Building of the Month by the Fayetteville Historic Preservation Commission.

“I’m so fortunate to come to work every day at such a beautiful and historic building,” said Wellwood Principal Melissa Corbin.

The Fayetteville Building of the Month is an award to honor individuals and groups who have helped to beautify and preserve the historic value of the village, and to promote interest in the historic value of the area. Considerations for the award are taken by nomination. Mayor Mark Olson, an F-M grad who attended Wellwood, nominated the building to be the January Building of the Month.

According to information from Kerry Rose, the F-M School historian, and Barbara Rivette, town of Manlius historian, the property where Wellwood sits was owned by Samuel J. Wells, who moved to Fayetteville in 1856. On that property, Wells build his homestead, a large brick house, where Wellwood now sits and he grew several types of grapes, pears, currents and other small fruit that was shipped to high-end hotels in northeast cities. Wells was active in the Presbyterian Society and served many years as a member of the school board until his death in 1906. The house was then occupied by descendents of Wells for several years.

In 1928, a referendum was put out to local voters to purchase the 28-acre property owned by the Wells family for $28,000 as the first step to build a new junior/senior high school. The land included the area currently occupied by the F-M schools and Bear Park. Voters approved the purchase of the land with a vote of 248 to 165.

In April of 1931, a referendum was approved to authorize construction of Fayetteville High School for $400,000. The new building was constructed in the Neo-classical architectural style and completed in the fall of 1932, and the first class graduated in June 1933. Furniture for the building was provided by the L & J G Stickley Company, which at the time occupied the building in which the current Fayetteville Free Library is located.

As a way to consolidate the schools in Fayetteville and Manlius, it was decided in 1951 to create the Fayetteville-Manlius School District, and the building was used as a high school for the district until 1962 when a high school was built on E. Seneca Turnpike, where the current F-M High School sits.

The building has been used as a middle school since 1962. An addition was added to the rear in 1965 to accommodate the need for more educational space in the district. The building became known as Wellwood Middle School in the late 1970s.

“It’s quite an honor for this district building to be recognized,” said Superintendent Craig Tice.

Wellwood has been the topic of recent F-M Board of Education meetings, as the need for repairs to the building will cost the school district more than replacing the building, according to a recent facilities needs assessment authorized by district administration. A facilities task force of about 30 community representatives as recently been formed, said Tice, to best determine how the school should go about repairing and updating all of the school’s facilities.

Nomination submissions for the Building of the Month award are currently being accepted, and can be made to Deputy Village Clerk Karen Shepardson by calling 637-9864 or emailing [email protected]. Properties must be located in the village.

To learn more about the Historic Preservation Commission, go to fayettevilleny.gov/Departments/HistoricPreservationCommission.