For years and years, Wade Menlove looked at the old Spring Lake School and told himself that someday, he would make the 102-year-old building shine again.
“I grew up out here in Spring Lake, and for a long, long time, I’ve dreamt of owning that building and turning it into something,” Menlove told Serve Daily. “I just always wanted to do something and make it pretty again.”
Spring Lake School opened in 1923, and was originally a three-classroom elementary school. It operated for 32 years, closing its doors in 1955. The building sits on 2.5 acres and overlooks Spring Lake itself. For years, however, the building has become somewhat of an eyesore with boarded up windows and overgrown land.
According to Menlove, the building was later owned by a beekeeper who used it to process honey. It was then sold to an individual who used the building for storage. Each year, Menlove would make a visit to the owner to inquire about purchasing the building and it wasn’t until last year when the owner changed his mind.
“Every year I’d make my annual trip to visit with (the then owner) and he was never interested in selling,” Menlove said. “Finally this last year, he changed his mind. … “He always thought that somebody would probably just tear it down and build a house on that piece of property. But I just kept insisting that we needed to save it and do something for the town. And finally, this spring, he said, ‘You know what? I can see that you’re passionate about saving it for the town, and making it into something that the community wants.’ He said that he was ready to sell it to me, and so we made a deal.”
The deal also included local business owner Jason Knapp. Together, the two have set out to make the building into something the community can be proud of.
“I grew up here in Spring Lake listening to stories of my dad, uncle and grandma who went to school there,” Knapp said. “I grew up hearing a lot of stories about the old school. It was abandoned by the time I came around, and it was always a place that had significance to a lot of people including myself. I would often think of different ways it could be preserved.
“If we didn’t set out to preserve it, it would have likely been developed,” he continued. “Spring Lake would have lost its school and Wade and I didn’t want that to happen.”
What the old school will turn into is yet to be officially determined. Menlove and Knapp have thought of things like a museum, bed and breakfast or event center. Both said that whatever it becomes, they hope it will serve the community at large. What it becomes will also be largely determined by zoning permits voted on by the city council.
Calling Spring Lake a “city” is a newer development. In fact, in November 2024, residents voted to incorporate it as its own official town. Menlove was also sworn in as the town’s mayor.
Menlove has been a lifelong resident, school teacher, builder and craftsman. He said that taking on this project with the old school building while acting as mayor has been a challenge that has shown to be even more rewarding as time goes on.
“The building was in such bad shape that we didn’t even know for sure if any of it could be saved,” Menlove said. “We had an engineer come and take a look at it, and he determined that the foundation and footings were solid and the brick work was really good for being a 102-year-old building. The roof had completely collapsed, and so everything inside, had water damage and was completely rotted, and had been for years. We had to replace the floor, the walls, and take the roof completely off. … We toyed with the idea of putting a different kind of roof on it (it had a flat roof). We thought maybe we’d put a pitch roof, but even then we thought it changed the look too much. So we thought, if we’re going to keep the brick, then we’re going to go with a flat roof, just to make it look like it did. So that’s kind of been our goal is to try to restore it, at least on the outside, so it looks like it did before.”
As the restoration has been going on, the team has kept the public updated on the progress through social media. With a little help from members of a somewhat “younger generation,” @old.school.remodel on Instagram and TikTok has been gaining thousands of followers and tens of thousands of views through clever posts.
“The social media account lets the community see what progress we’re making in a fun way,” Menlove said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
The duo said that they hope to have zoning permits and renovations done by this coming fall, and they want the grand opening to pay homage to those who attended the original school.
“One of the other things that we’re currently doing is interviewing the alumni of the old school who are still alive, so that we can tell their stories and put them into a video,” Knapp said. “Our very first event, once it’s all finished, is to bring back all the living alumni of Spring Lake School and their families and have a nice dinner. We have gathered several stories and are hoping to gather more.”
Knapp said that those who attended Spring Lake School, who have not shared their stories, can contact him or Wade via email at jasonknapp2@gmail.com or Wade.menlove07@gmail.com.
“We really think the community will love it when it’s done, and we hope that it will be a resource for them for years to come,” Menlove said.
To follow the progress of the building remodel, go to @old.school.remodel on Instagram or TikTok.
