MOBILE, Alabama — The Mobile County school board has signed off on a $2.8 million construction contract aimed at restoring the exterior of Barton Academy, one of the oldest public school buildings in the country.
Scope of the renovation
Board members approved the deal with a local construction firm during a regular meeting, authorizing exterior work that will include new windows, doors, a repaired roof and restoration of the building’s dome. The contract also covers repair work at the adjoining J.D. Yerby School building, which dates to the early 1900s. According to the school system’s facilities manager, the renovation had originally been budgeted at a higher figure before the final contract came in below that estimate. Crews are expected to begin work within roughly a month and a half of the vote.
A building with deep local history
Barton Academy holds a unique place in Alabama history, having opened in 1836 as the state’s first public school. The building sat vacant for years after the school system relocated its central offices to a campus near Schillinger and Howells Ferry roads. A nonprofit foundation dedicated to the historic property has separately been raising money toward an ambitious long-term plan to convert Barton Academy into an international school, a goal that has drawn support from preservationists and education advocates across the Mobile area.
Other construction contracts approved
The same meeting saw the board sign off on several additional projects across the district, including a contract to replace the roof at Mary G. Montgomery High School and a separate agreement to repave the parking lot at the school system’s transportation facility on Padgett Switch Road. Board members also approved reinforced doors at two elementary schools as part of ongoing campus safety upgrades.
Facility and personnel decisions
In other business, the board approved a lease arrangement with the city of Prichard allowing two area high schools to use Prichard Municipal Stadium for home football games, while two other district schools were cleared to use the stadium at no charge. The board also finalized a principal assignment at one of the district’s middle schools, part of a broader round of administrative moves within the system.
The Barton Academy project stands out among the approvals as a marquee investment in preserving one of Mobile’s most recognizable historic landmarks, with district officials framing the restoration as both a safety necessity and a step toward the building’s eventual return to active use.