Murray County school system director of administrative services Dean Donehoo stands in front of the former Murray County High School, nicknamed the "Old Rock Building", that was gutted by a fire in September while the building was being renovated for use as office space. The school system plans to keep the rock walls and construct a new building inside them using the $1.6 million insurance payoff.Murray County officials are officially re-opening the 80-year-old Old Rock Building, a former school gutted by fire in 2009.
The building, built by New Deal workers in 1934, has been two schools over the decades and will now house much of the school system's administrative staff.
The school system plans to open the structure for public view today at 5 p.m. and there will be a ceremony to officially open the facility at 5:30 p.m.
Built from rocks blasted to build a highway over Fort Mountain, the building was little more than a charred stone facade after a lightning strike set the historic structure ablaze.
The $1.7 million renovation has been completely funded by insurance money, according to Danny Dunn, the county school system's director of personnel and facilities.
"At first, we weren't even sure we could rebuild it," Dunn said. "I believe people are going to be very happy with the building when they see it."
For complete details, see tomorrow's Chattanooga Times Free Press.