Unlike in politics, no one has yet successfully sold their soul on eBay but almost everything else has been up for sale — so why not a school?
Well, why not? And one is..AZ Perspective and Junk tipped us to this tale of an Arizona school that is on the bidding block. According to the Winslow Mail:
Just about anything in the world can be found on the eBay Web site including vacant municipal buildings and schools. Trying to find buyers for such structures isn’t easy especially in rural towns.
To generate interest outside of the city, the Winslow Unified School District has put the former Winslow High School, known affectionately as “Old Main,� on the online auction block.
The building has a listing price of $150,000, however, Supt. Bob Mansell said that the school is listed “just to generate interest.�
Unlike other items on eBay, there is no area to enter a bid for Old Main, just a place for interested buyers to enter their information so the district can contact them.
Mansell said the school, built in 1929, is for sale because the district is paying utilities on a building that can not be used for students.
“By law we can’t use it for kids,� Mansell said.
Mansell said there has been no official decision by the Winslow Governing Board to sell Old Main and that the board would receive advice at the next meeting, set for tonight. Mansell added that the board is likely to ensure that it will not be torn down.
The eBay description reads: “The building exhibits visions of the Renaissance style, showing a formal detailing in its squared off windows and unadorned fascia… This building is a concrete and beam structure with a clay tile infill on exterior walls and a brick veneer. The building has stone quoins at the corners. Stone is also utilized for windowsills and also for a water ledge that runs around the building exterior, just above the ground floor windows. The main entrance trim is of carved limestone.
Square footage is approximately 72,000 feet, with approximately 24 classrooms. The asking price is $150,000. Terms negotiable.�
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Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.