historic st. louis schools face uncertain future

The city of St.
Louis is trying to decide what many of its historic buildings and neighborhoods will look like.
Some schools have been designed by architect William etner. His buildings —
From the end of the 19 th century to the beginning of the 20 th century-dot St.
Scenery of LouisOpen-Floor plan, 15-
The footboard and hardwood floors are the logo of the iTrade design.
His ideas have influenced the way schools are built across the country.
Now the city plans to sell 10 schools in Etna.
There are already five in the market, and another five are planned as St.
Public school districts in Louis cut spending.
At the peak of enrollment at 1930, 115,000 students went to St.
Public schools in Louis
It\'s more like 27,000 now.
14 schools will be closed in the region this year, including some that are not designed by iTrade.
Old buildings with problems in the iTrade school will be sold, demolished or re-used, this is Horace Mann Primary School, built in 1901.
Principal Brian Zimmerman said the decision to close Mann was due to the lack of central air conditioningconditioning.
ITouch\'s first project in St
Louis School District-
Arlington school
Is one of the products already on sale.
Completed in 1898 and closed in 1994.
After ten and a half years of negligence, its walls collapsed and the floor cracked and twisted.
The brass lion head, once decorated with roof cornice, was cut off.
Even though there are broken blackboards and graffiti
The walls of the room are covered and have a soothing character.
In a recent visit, Michael Allen, assistant director of St. Allen
The Louis landmark Association noted that there were three tall windows in a classroom.
\"Even on cloudy days, the room was bathed in very beautiful natural light,\" he said.
\"Transforming the schools of iTrade into the elegance of iTrade buildings makes it easy to imagine their use in other ways.
Some of his schools have found new lives, or lofts, as old-age living communities --
Stylish apartment.
However, Allen said that now could be the worst time for the area to unload so many historic properties.
And, in reality, there\'s only a few lofts in city blocks.
People living in the tide are likely to live. \"Not here!
He is talking about Arlington school.
\"You know, like in the neighborhood, people can barely afford to pay the rent, not to mention paying some money for the attic.
\"The closure of a school may have other effects on the surrounding community.
Part of St.
Louis, the owner, wants to know the name nearby-Mark Twain —
It still makes sense after the local eponymous primary school closes.
The school\'s brick arch and striking cupolas make it a unique community landmark.
\"But if the school doesn\'t open, I don\'t know if they still want to call Mark Twain,\" said Lee Otis Williams, who runs a convenience store across the road.
\"A large part of this is Mark Twain School.
\"At the moment, charter schools are one of the few groups interested in buying old schools.
Over the past few years, district managers have refused to sell to franchise companies.
But due to tight budgets and pressure from the community to take up these buildings, it is difficult to reject any serious buyers, especially those who are willing to leave their children at the William etner school.
Adam Allington reports for member station KWMU.