Developer has plans for Lincoln School

The former Lincoln School would be purchased by a developer for $715,000 and reused for office, retail and residential space, in a deal announced Tuesday. Findlay school board has agreed to the deal with Columbus-based Trivium Development, which also is planning to build an apartment-commercial building at the site of the former Argyle building downtown. The Lincoln Elementary School building at 200 West Lincoln Street. KEVIN BEAN / The Courier Lincoln School, over a century old, was closed in 2021. The sale of Lincoln School could occur by October. Trivium's "expertise and vision will breathe new life into the historic building, preserving its heritage while revitalizing the 115-year-old site," said Matt Cooper, president of Findlay school board. Trivium President Tim Spencer said he wants to keep the building's appearance intact. "It would be a shame to see it torn down as part of redevelopment. Part of me has a preservationist mentality," Spencer said. "The vision is keeping the building standing and keeping the building part of the community and optimizing it." The building would have some functional upgrades, like perhaps installation of an elevator, he said. But otherwise his plan is to retain the existing school building appearance. "You're not going to drive by six months from now and wonder what it is. You're going to drive by and realize it's still Lincoln Elementary," he said. "The gymnasium isn't going to come down. The building isn't going to come down." Findlay schools, as a government entity, cannot directly sell the building to a business like Trivium. But under Ohio law, the Blanchard Valley Port Authority, which facilitates and finances projects, can. So the port authority would serve as a mediator. Findlay schools would transfer the Lincoln School property to the port authority. The port authority would then sell the property to Trivium for $715,000. The port authority would then transfer the proceeds to Findlay schools. "This collaboration will help to transform the iconic building into a vibrant mixed-use project, incorporating office, retail, and residential spaces," said Paul Sears, chairman of the port authority. "The partnership between Findlay City Schools, Blanchard Valley Port Authority and Trivium represents a powerful alliance committed to the economic growth and redevelopment of infill spaces," said Dan Sheaffer, director of Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development.