Former Gadsden High School property sells with new lease on life

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Downtown Gadsden
(City of Gadsden)

In October, the old Gadsden High School building was put up for sale by the school board, and now, the property has been sold to developers.

With promises to restore what the space once was, prior to its 2006 closure, developers have a few ideas and plans for the former Gadsden High.

Former Gadsden High School property bought for $500K+

At the end of the 2005-2006 school year, Gadsden, Emma Sansom and Litchfield consolidated into Gadsden City High School

According to the Anniston Star, the building has been unused for the most part since 2006, aside from housing alternative school and SPAN program for at-risk youth, but both of those programs have relocated as well.

Maintaining the space had started to become a burden for the school system, and they hoped someone with the proper vision could find a use for the property.

Enter local developer Phillip Williams and his company, Coosa Consulting!

Through his company Coosa Consulting, Williams bought the property at 607 S. 12th Street for “a little more” than the asking price of $500,000.

“We’re going to clean it up over the next couple of months. Our 12-month goal is having the three gyms and (Murphree Stadium) back up and running.”

Phillip Williams via Anniston Star

Ideas for the space include renting out the football stadium and the gyms—whether it be for local schools or coaches for training.

As far as the building itself, plans include:

  • Business offices
  • Housing
  • A restaurant in the old cafeteria

Overall, Williams wants to restore the property to how it once was, and even plans to reference old photos if needed.

President of the Board of Education disclosed that they looked beyond who offered the most money for the property, and instead focused on who had the best vision for how to utilize the great space.

Coosa Consulting has restored a lot of historic spots in downtown Gadsden, so officials are hopeful they’ll do the same with the former Gadsden High.

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Callie Morrison
Callie Morrison
Articles: 152