Want to own a piece of a history? Bricks from old Lee School available for free pickup

Leesburgers who are feeling wistful about the destruction of a local landmark can have a souvenir of it of their very own for free.

Bricks from the recent demolition of the Lee Adult School are available at Leesburg Heritage Museum on Sixth Street in downtown Leesburg.

Frank Stivender, the museum's director, said that anyone who wants to can claim a brick from the abandoned school on the National Registry of Historic Places. Built in 1915, the school has been in disrepair since 2003 and has been deemed by developers and city planners as too costly to repair.

Those who want a brick can pick one up, or as many you can load in your vehicle, from a trailer in front of the museum.

"John O'Kelley, who's on our board of directors (and belongs to the Leesburg planning commission), is a contractor and was able to go on the site and get the cornerstone and other items out of the Lee School," Stivender told the Daily Commercial.

Stivender added that he is hauling batches of bricks in a trailer loaded by contractors to the museum because citizens can't go on the torn-down school's property for liability reasons.

"It's off limits," Stivender emphasized.

Barry Mansfield, vice president of Prospera Senior Living and CEO of Cullison-Wright Construction, and the city council president in Ocala, has owned the building since 2018 and presented a new plan to Leesburg's commission on Feb. 12.

The proposal, which was well-received by commissioners, calls for 104 apartments. The buildings would be two-story structures.

More in Frank Stivender's recent report: New plan for Lee Adult School in Leesburg: apartments, not condos

As for those gorgeous staircases pictured in an article by Abandoned Florida?

O'Kelley was able to retrieve those too, Stivender said. No word yet on how they will be displayed or used again.

The Leesburg Historical Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and can be found at 111 S Sixth St., Leesburg. Call 352-315-1800 for more information.

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Lee School building bricks available for pickup in Leesburg Florida