Is this 100-year-old school for sale in Illinois cozy or eerie? See for yourself
When combing through the photos of the building dubbed Grant School, the stark differences between each room and stretching corridor appear to walk a fine line between comfortable and alive, to brutally haunting and desolate.
But one word stands out when looking at the former elementary school’s run down ceilings and pulled-up floorboards: potential.
“I actually went to kindergarten there,” listing agent Callie Brown told Realtor.com. “Downstairs is in really great shape as far as the 10 classrooms and chalkboards. There’s tons of potential for lots of different projects. The upstairs is kind of stripped down.”
The large, 18,500-square-foot building, which was built in 1922, is currently on the real estate market in Benton, Illinois, for $199,900.
That’s roughly the size of a mega mansion for less than the cost of a studio apartment in Southern California.
“A walk down memory lane with your childhood for many, as you view this historical icon of Benton!” the listing on Realtor.com says. “Grant School is on the Market and now available for the endless possibilities as far as your imagination can take you.”
Currently, the former school is being used as a residence, Realtor says.
Features of the property include:
Kitchen
Six bathrooms
Gym space
Office
Parking space
Playground area
“The upstairs is kind of cleared,” Brown said to Realtor. “It has some of the original molding and tin ceilings that are really ornate and very valuable. I think there is a lot of potential. We have had investors look at creating apartments, because there’s plenty of space for that.”
The listing is held by H2 Realty Group, LLC.
Benton is about 100 miles southeast of St. Louis.
This story was originally published September 8, 2022 at 9:24 AM with the headline "Is this 100-year-old school for sale in Illinois cozy or eerie? See for yourself."