Saving Thorn School would save our history, brighten future

PRINCETON — Thick, oddly shaped squares of paint peeled from the walls, as chunks of deteriorating plaster accumulated on the floor and ceiling tiles sagged under the weight of storm water that a weary roof couldn’t keep out.

These are the realities inside the building that was once Thorn School — a structure that housed countless lessons, love of learning and a personality that few modern buildings ever achieve.

On the outside, the stately brick structure stands tall over Thorn Street and Princeton’s East End. It looks strong, if a bit tired and lonely, after spending so many years without children running through the halls and teachers tending the classes.

The inside is a different story. There, the scenes speak only of decay and abandonment, likely left to take their toll, not because no one cared but more likely because the job seemed too big and too expensive to tackle.

It only grows each day.

Water pools on the gym floor, deep enough to cast a reflection in the photo Greg Puckett shot this week.

On a sunny day, rays shine down from a roof hatch that has remained uncovered and completely exposed for longer than anyone cares to conceive.

Moss covers a classroom floor, while black mold clings to ceiling tiles overhead.

There are a few items of school life that remain remarkably intact. The office sign is a little rusty, but it still hangs in its assigned spot.

A public-address speaker looks almost untouched in a classroom corner.

But, it was another item that jumped out at me as I perused the photos Thursday, during a meeting evaluating the potential of saving the landmark that just might have the power to hold Princeton’s East End together.

I’m not sure if the item that caught my attention was a bumper sticker, a magnet or just a printed reminder to a compassionate, harried teacher, but it somehow managed to stay relatively clean in a decidedly unsanitary environment.

“It’s the kids that count,” the reminder heralded, in bright red letters beside a stick-figure child over a white background.

The unfortunate irony of the situation was unavoidable, surrounded by caring individuals, most of whom dedicate their careers to serving and protecting children unable to look out for themselves. The fact that this item lingered years inside a school that nurtured thousands of Princeton residents before we turned our back on it only increased the melancholy feel of the Thorn School situation.

It doesn’t take a building inspector or an engineering degree to see that the picture those photos paint is a dire one. If Princeton doesn’t want Thorn School to go the way of Bluefield’s Matz hotel and brownstone bank building, we better get to work — fast.

As the executive director of Community Connections, Puckett hopes that the community cares enough about the building, its history and its power to unite a part of Princeton that needs support more than ever to join forces and save the landmark from almost certain demolition.

There are a a lot of ifs in the effort, including funding, safety, reclamation efforts and even a defined purpose, if we can stabilize the structure. But, there’s a lot of hope in the idea.

Where there is legitimate purpose and positive activity, the negative elements we meet on Thorn Street every day can only disperse. Prostitutes, their clients, thieves and drug dealers may walk the streets during the day, but they like to commit their crimes and seal their deals when and where no one can see.

If we can save Thorn School and fill it up with people, organizations and businesses dedicated to reclaiming our part of town, imagine the impact that one building could make on our whole community.

As the business neighbor to that structure with so much potential, I can’t help but believe that finding hope and seeing the possibility inside a potentially desperate scene are the first steps toward taking our neighborhood back from the people who don’t care about it, us, or themselves.

It will take a lot of work and probably more money than any of us who gathered around the CCI table Thursday know, but if Thorn School can be saved and put to a use that lives up to that red-and-white motto, we owe it to ourselves and the Princeton of the future to do what we can to make it happen.

It really is the kids that count. What are we going to leave today’s East End kids, if we don’t do something to make their future and their home strong enough and safe enough to count on?

The next meeting of the fledgling committee is tentatively set for July 10 at 10 a.m., at the Community Connections office on South Walker Street. Anyone interested in joining the Thorn Street Revitalization effort is encouraged to attend.

Tammie Toler is editor of the Princeton Times. Contact her at ttoler@ptonline.net.

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Saving Thorn School would save our history, brighten future

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