Save Carleton School

Kitsilano secondary, Bloedel Conservatory lead Vancouver endangered heritage list

2010-04-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

3. Carleton School (1896)

Carleton Hall is facing demolition following a fire caused by arson in 2008. The Ministry of Education has denied two proposals by the Vancouver School Board to restore the building for future use and lacks funding to proceed on its own.

Community rallies to save Vancouver heritage school

2010-03-17T23:08:00.000-07:00

CBC: 2010 March 17

Video clip

Students and parents in East Vancouver were rallying on Wednesday to save a historic schoolhouse that was damaged by arsonists — but officials say they can't justify the repair bill.

The 114-year-old two-room schoolhouse on Kingsway near Joyce Street used to house the kindergarten of Sir Guy Carleton Elementary School, but two years ago a fire burned out the interior.

Since then the heritage-listed building has sat empty, boarded up and covered in tarps, next to the newer main school building.

School district trustees have said enrollment in the neighbourhood has been declining, and the entire school might soon be closed down anyway.

But on Wednesday a group of students and parents were out in front of the school trying to raise support to save it.

The area's NDP MLA Adrian Dix said the government has only offered to pay $75,000 to demolish the building, instead of the estaimated $600,000 repair bill.

Dix said the province has rejected the community's plans to find alternate uses for the building, but he still supports efforts to save it.

"That school community has taken a lot, and this is a real let down for the whole school community by the province, and I think they deserve better, and they deserve the province to fulfill their obligations to the school, the community and those children, and fix that school," said Dix.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/03/17/bc-save-sir-guy-carlton.html#ixzz0iVPcMZqs

Vancouver community rallies to save oldest school

2010-03-17T23:04:00.000-07:00

Vancouver Sun: 2010 March 17

Janet Steffenhagen

Vancouver community rallies to save oldest school

Students, parents and teachers gathered outside Vancouver’s oldest school building Wednesday to protest demolition plans.

The B.C. government says it won’t spend $625,000 to restore the 114-year-old building that has stood empty and covered by a tarp alongside Sir Guy Carleton elementary since it was damaged by fire in 2006. Instead, the Education Ministry has offered $75,000 to have the structure removed.

Adrian Dix, the MLA for Vancouver Kingsway, attended the rally and described the two-room schoolhouse as a city and provincial landmark.

“East-end students and residents have been lobbying successive education ministers for over two years to fulfil their obligations to repair the school,” the NDP member said in a release. “Instead, the B.C. Liberals are offering to destroy, not preserve, an asset to the public education system.”

Last year, the Vancouver board of education drafted a plan to turn the building into an early learning centre, but the ministry refused, noting there is already an excess of space in nearby schools. A report shows 900 empty spaces in the east-side community, including 180 in Carleton elementary itself.

Based on the ministry’s refusal, school district managers recommended earlier this month that the board proceed with demolition, but trustees gave the community time to seek ways of saving the building.

Trustee Sharon Gregson said the building, constructed in 1896, is an important heritage site but any ideas for restoration will have to be weighed against the fact Vancouver will likely have to consider school closures in future. “[We have to] balance the enthusiasm for saving the building with the reality ... that Carleton could be one of the schools that’s up for closure,” she said in an interview.

The district has been predicting a shortfall of more than $17 million in balancing its 2010-11 budget.

jsteffenhagen@vancouversun.com

Board delays wrecking ball for historic schoolhouse

2010-03-10T16:31:00.000-08:00

Vancouver Courier: 2010 March 10

Naoibh O'Connor

One of the school district's oldest school buildings could be knocked down unless the community it once served can find a way to save it.

The building is one of four structures on the Sir Guy Carleton school site at the corner of Kingsway and Joyce. It's at risk of demolition because it was damaged by arson two years ago.

The two-classroom yellow wood-frame out-building is more than a century old. The Vancouver School Board's efforts to obtain money from the provincial government to fix it have failed.

The board initially asked the Ministry of Education to cover the estimated $625,000 in repair costs, but was turned down after the ministry concluded the district didn't need the space.

A second request proposed it be used as an early learning centre, which also required the repair costs, but the ministry also denied that appeal.

Last week, staff recommended the board seek approval from the province to demolish it, but the decision is being deferred to give the neighbourhoods surrounding the building time to find a way to preserve it.

"We've really hit the wall in terms of what we can do with our funding," said board chair Patti Bacchus. "We're hoping if there's some will in the community we could find a compatible use--childcare, early learning, some kind of use that would work."

The building, which is covered by blue tarps, has been left vacant and has deteriorated over the past two years.

The temporary rain tarps do not prevent moisture from entering the building. Moisture is causing decay and damage to the building, according to a staff report, which estimates roof tarps and security fencing at the site cost up to $30,000 a year.

Annual operating costs, including custodial services and energy use, are pegged at about $8,200.

The report recommends demolition to mitigate hazards and district liability. The estimated cost to knock it down, remove the foundation and reinstate landscaping is $75,000, which would be funded by the ministry.

Bacchus hopes the community where the school is located can raise money to preserve the heritage site.

"It was built in 1896. It may be the earliest school structure in the city, so although the recommendation was to proceed with demolition, we deferred that to allow the community some time," Bacchus said.

The board will not undertake a formal consultation because its focused on budget deliberations, which could lead to school closures in that neighbourhood and other neighbourhoods in the city.

Bacchus said if the building were to be demolished, it would be preferable to do it over the summer when students aren't in class.

"But given that it's sat there for two years like this I don't want to suddenly rush to take it down," she added.

Heritage advocate Don Luxton is concerned about the fate of the building, but is encouraged the school board is willing to let the community get involved. He called a vacant building a threatened building because the longer it remains vacant the more expensive it is to fix.

"We're extremely worried about it because they are going to talk until it falls down even if they don't knock it down," he said.

noconnor@vancourier.com

The future of Vancouver's oldest school

2010-03-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

Report Card: 2010 March 9

Should taxpayers spend $625,000 to preserve a 114-year-old, fire-damaged school building in the interest of heritage?

The government has said no, after rejecting a proposal late last year from the Vancouver board of education to restore the frame out-building at Sir Guy Carleton elementary school and transform it into an early learning centre. It has been sitting empty, with a blue tarp over the roof, since it was targeted by arsonists two years ago.

The proposal was developed following a recommendation from the Education Ministry, which noted the building was not needed to accommodate K-12 enrolments in the area since there is already excess capacity in neighbouring schools. Instead, the ministry said the board should consider other options that will make the building "integral to deliver of education for the district's students. The Ministry will then work with district staff to implement the agreed plan."

A report to Vancouver trustees on March 1 said there are 900 empty student spaces in the area, including 180 in Carleton elementary itself.

"Due to the large surplus capacity in the area, relocating an existing education program from another school site into Carleton Building C would not enhance overall capacity utilization for the area," says the report from the district management team. "Therefore, it is difficult to provide justification to the Ministry that the two classroom facility is essential to maintaining educational programs and to release funding to restore the damaged building."

The management team recommended the board proceed with demolition, noting the government has agreed to pick up the $75,000 bill. Trustee Sharon Gregson said the building is an important feature in the community, and the board has asked the community if it has any other ideas about how it can be saved. "All that, though, within the context of - over the next couple of years - the district needing to look at potential school closures, and so wanting to balance the enthusiasm for saving the building with the reality . . . that Carleton could be one of the schools that's up for closure just because of its location."

Some community members have begun a campaign to save the building.

Heritage Building to be Torn Down?

2010-03-08T22:49:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Committee II Meeting

Staff Report:
Sir Guy Carleton Elementary - Building C

(Statement from trustees regarding decision to table recommendation)

The Fix is In

2009-10-30T10:57:00.001-07:00

Vancouver Courier: 2009 October 30

The Vancouver School Board wants Sir Guy Carleton's vacant outbuilding used as an early learning centre.

The century-old heritage building, which is part of the school site at the corner of Kingsway and Joyce, was seriously damaged by arson in March 2008. Little has been done to fix it.

Its roof is covered with blue tarp because the provincial government won't release money for its restoration until the Vancouver School Board proves it's needed for an educational purpose.

Trustees have endorsed a proposal to turn it into an early learning centre for pre-kindergarten children in the neighbourhood.

COPE trustee Allan Wong, chair of the planning and facilities committee, said senior staff will approach the Ministry of Education with the proposal, but it's uncertain when a decision will be made.

The district would like to see the centre opened by September 2011 or earlier.

Early Learning Centre Proposal

2009-10-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

VSB: Committee III Agenda

Wednesday, October 14th at 1730 hours

Class Notes: Slow burn

2009-09-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

Vancouver Courier: 2009 September 23

Naoibh O'Connor

The slow pace of bureaucracy takes the shape of a blue tarp on property at the corner of Kingsway and Joyce.

It covers the roof of a century-old, fire-damaged school building, which used to house two kindergarten classes--part of Sir Guy Carleton elementary.

The building was seriously damaged in an arson in March 2008. Students, parents, staff and the Collingwood neighbourhood have spent well over a year waiting for word on the fate of the heritage schoolhouse, even appearing at a committee meeting last March lobbying for its for restoration. Their wait continues.

COPE trustee Allan Wong, chair of the district's planning and facilities committee, said the provincial government has insisted the VSB state a case for the continued educational use of the building before it hands over the insurance money to fix it.

"We're insured through the province rather than a private insurance company, so the province said you'll have to show us the educational plans for it before they'll release the money. We're still working on the usage of it," Wong said.

Wong said the space will almost certainly be needed given the prospect of universal all-day kindergarten.

Meantime, he looked into the cost of at least fixing the school roof to make the exterior presentable, but the price tag was prohibitive, especially in light of the provincial government cut to the district's annual facilities grant.

The 2008 estimate for reconstructing the old school building was roughly $555,000, excluding the cost of removing asbestos, which has already been done.

"It's an eyesore," Wong concedes. "We have to fix it. But the most expeditious way is to show the provincial government that it's needed. My view is it's going to be proven to them at the end of the day... it's one of these one step at a time things and I wish it had been done, but in my view it will be done."

Vision Vancouver trustee Sharon Gregson said she's determined to keep the issue at the forefront because it's bad for the school community. Gregson blames the provincial government for the delay. "Just to be clear, this is not the fault of the district. This is waiting for the ministry to step up," she said. "But I want to make sure with all the other issues our beleaguered facilities department is having to deal with that this issue doesn't fall off the agenda. I want people to be aware it's still waiting to be dealt with."

Gregson maintains there are lots of potential uses for the site, for example childcare, literacy programs, settlement programs or adult education.

Wong expects a report about the heritage school might be ready for the next education and students services committee meeting. Meanwhile, he'll be contacting the principal with an update that will be put in a school newsletter.

Current, former teachers hope to save schoolhouse

2009-03-27T00:05:00.000-07:00

Vancouver Courier: 2009 March 27
Cheryl Rossi

Admirers of Vancouver's oldest school building don't want another heritage structure to bite the dust.

They want the provincial government to fix the 113-year-old annex at Carleton elementary at Kingsway and Joyce after the building was damaged by a fire a year ago this month.

"It is the oldest still functioning school building [in Vancouver]," said Karin Bernauer, the elementary school teacher's representative to the Vancouver School Board's planning and facilities committee and a teacher at the school. "It was built in the Collingwood area before this area even became part of Vancouver. It didn't join Collingwood until the late '20s, so for the Collingwood area it's a huge, significant historical building."

Val Hamilton, who was a teacher-librarian at Sir Guy Carleton from 1977 to 1984, concurs.

"It is listed as an 'A' building on the Vancouver Heritage Registry. I was on a committee that did a study of all the school sites for the city and the school district a few years ago, and we especially noted the Carleton site because it had a unique collection of different types of buildings," said the retiree who has written a book on the history of Vancouver's schools.

The two-room schoolhouse, which has served the Collingwood community since 1896, went up in flames in the early hours of the morning March 2, 2008, in a suspected arson. The blaze damaged the ceiling and attic and its interior was flooded with smoke and water. The charred roof of the pale yellow building remains intact under blue tarps.

Bernauer said the Ministry of Education requested information about class sizes in the vicinity just before Christmas. In February, she said, the school district revealed the provincial government had decided against restoring the school, but that information isn't reflected in the minutes of the board's planning and facilities committee.

Hamilton says the ministry's rules about fixing schools place too much emphasis on classroom capacity in the case of Carleton.

"Sometimes they have to break their own rules and take a look at the heritage value of a site," she said. "Just using a mindless formula doesn't make any sense in this case."

She noted the Collingwood Pioneers use the school in their celebrations.

Adrian Dix, Vancouver-Kingsway NDP MLA, criticized Premier Gordon Campbell for abandoning the Collingwood community at a press conference about the school March 23.

Shirley Bond, the Liberal minister of education, said in a written statement that the ministry has spent $100,000 so far on repairs, including removing asbestos from the site and bracing the building to prevent further structural damage. She said the ministry is prepared to work with the school board on the project while considering enrolment needs, educational requirements and other district policies.

Bernauer said the $100,000 was spent stripping scorched items from the building and restoring classroom material.

Dix estimated repairs to the annex would cost roughly $400,000.

The two kindergarten classes housed in the old schoolhouse were moved into the main school. Bernauer said that meant a special new program that was to be housed there as of January couldn't be accommodated and was moved to another school.

Bernauer concedes she doesn't believe the kindergarten classes were at full capacity. But she also says capacity's not the point. Heritage conservation is.

"It's been a year. We've waited patiently for a year and I think because it's an East Side school we are patient, we do wait for things to happen," she said. "And I highly doubt that if this school would have burned in Point Grey that it would still be blue tarped."

David Weir, school board spokesperson, would say only that staff continue to work on the matter.

crossi@vancourier.com

Fight to save Carleton school

2009-03-24T00:21:00.000-07:00

24 Hour News: 2009 March 24

Vancouver's Sir Guy Carleton Elementary's 113-year-old, two-room schoolhouse that sustained arson damages last year is at risk of being lost.

The A (primary significance) classified heritage building by the City of Vancouver used to house the school's kindergarten classes but the provincial government is refusing to pay for repairs, according to Adrian Dix, NDP MLA for Vancouver-Kingsway.

"For them not to fix the school is really reprehensible," Dix said yesterday in front of the boarded up schoolhouse.

The cost for repairs would be in the neighbourhood of $400,000, he said.

A school alumnus from the '40s, Jackie McHugh, one of four generations in her family who attended the school, said, "It's a landmark to Collingwood."

But, in a written statement Minister of Education Shirley Bond, Liberal MLA, expressed her concern for Dix's sudden interest in the project and says the province's School Protection Program has spent $100,000 so far on repairs, including the removal of asbestos from the site.

"The kindergarten students who had been using the building before the fire have been accommodated in other classrooms on the school property," Bond wrote.

LANDMARK SCHOOL AT RISK BECAUSE OF CAMPBELL’S NEGLECT

2009-03-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

NDP: 2009 March 23

VANCOUVER - Students and the city of Vancouver are on the verge of losing one of B.C.'s most historic places of learning because Gordon Campbell refuses to pay the repair bill he is responsible for, says Vancouver Kingsway MLA Adrian Dix.

“Students first suffered last March when a fire severely damaged the city’s oldest school building at Sir Guy Carleton Elementary. Now the Premier is abandoning them, plus the Joyce-Collingwood community, by rejecting his legal and civic duty to restore this landmark that has been part of Vancouver since 1896” said Dix.

More than a year ago this designated heritage site - the province’s longest standing two room school house - was set ablaze. Prior to the arson, it housed two kindergarten classes and served as a prominent link to Vancouver's past.

Although the provincial government is the formal insurer, Campbell refuses to repair the building, which is more than 110 years old.

“According to the Campbell government, such a significant educational and architectural site is 'excess space' that can be done away with. Kindergarten students have lost their classroom and the community is losing a connection to its history,” said Dix.

Dix, local parents, teachers, and alumni of the historic schoolhouse held a press conference today calling on Campbell to stop the neglect and immediately fix the structure before it is too late.

“Campbell and his team are currently on track to finish what the arsonists started,” said Dix, noting that the damaged school has deteriorated further because Campbell has allowed so much time to elapse since the fire.

“The Premier insists he is a champion of Vancouver, and that he has dedicated his career in public service to children. His neglect for the students, parents and community in this situation illustrates again how these claims are just hollow sound bites.”

Contact Jasmyn Singh 250-387-0200; Shruti Joshi 604-775-2408

Meena Wong 王小姐
Constituency Assistant 省議員助理
Adrian Dix, MLA-Vancouver Kingsway 溫哥華京士威省議員
Tel: 604-660-0314
Fax: 604-660-1131
email: meena.wong@leg.bc.ca

Government Refused to Repair Building

2009-03-13T16:20:00.000-07:00

The Provincial Government is refusing to repair the fire-damaged building as the school doesn't need the classroom space. Duh!

Fate of Sir Guy Carleton school building still unknown

2008-03-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

Suspected arson damaged century-old structure

Naoibh O'Connor, Vancouver Courier
Published: Wednesday, March 12, 2008

District officials are waiting for reports from an insurance adjuster and a structural engineer before deciding the fate of a century-old school building seriously damaged by fire a week ago.

It's uncertain whether Sir Guy Carleton, a designated heritage building, can be rehabilitated or if it will have to be levelled and rebuilt.

"We've got fire restoration people involved and we need to find out how much work is actually going to have to be done--how much of the structure has been compromised by fire is the basic question," explained Doug McClary, manager of maintenance and construction for the Vancouver School Board.

The two-classroom structure is one of four buildings on the Carleton elementary site at the corner of Kingsway and Joyce. It was constructed more than 110 years ago and housed two kindergarten classes, which have since been moved into the main building.

The blaze, a suspected arson, started on the main doorway into the school on its east side, travelled up the face the structure and jumped into and spread through the attic.

McClary said the flames damaged the ceiling and attic, while the building interior was flooded with water from efforts to douse the fire.

"There's places where the ceiling is right open to the attic," he said. "There are places where you can see through the roof in the attic. We have tarped it at this point."

Some neighbours reported to police they saw a youth running from the site, according to McClary, although he wasn't sure if arson was confirmed or not.

School board chair Clarence Hansen said he hadn't visited the site since the damage, but that it would be a shame if the old school had to be knocked down.
"I think we're all best to hold off before making any kind of announcement that it can't be [saved]," he said. "It's going to come down to the structure and what they can do with it. I would hope that they would try to save it. We have a strong group of heritage advocates in the city, and I would hope we're going to give our best efforts there."

The school's name, which was originally Vancouver East School, was changed to Sir Guy Carleton in 1911. Carleton, first baron of Dorchester, was a British soldier and administrator who was born in Strabane, Ireland, according to the school website. He arrived in Canada in 1758 and was an officer in the French and Indian War. He commanded the British troops in Canada during the American revolution and repelled U.S. General Benedict Arnold's attack. He became governor of British North America in 1786-'96.

School reopens doors after fire

2008-03-04T10:48:00.000-08:00

By MEAGAN ALBRECHTSON, 24 HOURS
2008 March 4

Kindergarten classes will resume today for students at Carleton Elementary School in East Vancouver after a fire nearly destroyed their building late Saturday night.

"A lot of work's being done in terms of getting things back to normal," said Clarence Hansen, chair of the Vancouver School Board. New furniture was being brought in yesterday to fill the two empty classrooms that were undamaged in the blaze, and Hansen said there is still enough space to accommodate the 40 students.

Tom McEwan, deputy chief of the Vancouver Fire Department, said the fire is still under investigation but that it is suspicious in nature and being referred to arson investigators.

Hansen said the fire has been "a big shock for the school and the community," and that it will take some time before the heritage building is restored.

Costly fire in more ways than one

2008-03-04T09:17:00.001-08:00

Mar, 03 2008 - 10:40 PM

VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980) - East Vancouver's oldest school may not be salvageable. So says a School Board Trustee following a bad fire over the weekend.

The two-alarm blaze at the Carleton Elementary Schoolhouse early Sunday morning caused extensive to the wood-frame building.

Trustee Ken Denike says teachers will have a chance to see what they can salvage inside, if anything, but, "It doesn't look to me like there is an awful lot that can be salvaged unless it can be rebuilt."

As for rebuilding, "We aren't that far yet. We'll have to get the insurance adjustment and we've got to have our facilities people have a real close look at it but it doesn't look good."

The schoolhouse was built in 1896. Denike says it's east Vancouver's oldest school.

No word yet on the cause of the fire.

Heritage school blaze labelled 'suspicious'

2008-03-04T09:15:00.000-08:00

Updated: Mon Mar. 03 2008 07:39:53 ctvbc.ca

Watch video

Vancouver's only one-room schoolhouse was gutted early Sunday morning by what firefighters are now calling a "suspicious" fire.

Flames were spotted in a dumpster next to Sir Guy Carleton Elementary just after midnight on Monday, and within minutes, flames and smoke were pouring out of the school's attic windows.

Six fire trucks and 25 firefighters battled the blaze for some two hours, at one point climbing a step ladder to push a hose through a window to fight the flames.

"It was a stubborn one," said one fireman.

By 2:30 a.m., the wood-frame building -- built in 1896 as Vancouver's only one room schoolhouse -- had been badly damaged, with fire and water damage in many parts of the building.

A store of children's artwork in the attic was one of the valuable things that was destroyed.

Nearly 40 students used the room as kindergarten students and they won't be at school tomorrow.

School officials said they weren't sure the building could be used again this year.
Roy Berry woke up when he heard windows breaking. He told CTV News that he knows the school well.

"A lot of people don't realize the historical value," he said. "We do because we've been here for so long and we've been watching out for it."

The school is one of Vancouver's original schools, and built in 1896. Several more buildings have been added since, and the small one-room school house now houses two kindergarten classes.

David Gibson's mother drove out to have a look for himself. His mother went to the school in 1920.

"This is an important structure and there's a lot of memories for this city and the people who grew up in it," he said.

The school board is waiting for more information about insurance on the building.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, and investigators say it's too early to tell if the building is a complete loss.

Heritage school damaged

2008-03-04T09:12:00.000-08:00

Building 'a mess,' arson suspected

Kent Spencer
The Province
Monday, March 03, 2008

One of Vancouver's oldest schools, Carleton Elementary, was badly damaged yesterday by fire.

Police suspect arson, said school board chairman Ken Denike.

"It's a small but precious piece of heritage," Denike said. "The building is a mess."

The two-alarm blaze, which began at 12:30 a.m., caused extensive fire, smoke and water damage.

The school, located in the 3200-block Kingsway, near Joyce Street, was built in 1896. The single-storey, wood-frame structure housed two kindergarten classes.

Classes for 38 students will be cancelled today and will resume tomorrow in extra space on site.

The school is named for Sir Guy Carleton, a British governor in Quebec during the 18th century.

Sturdy old school tested by blaze

2008-03-04T09:11:00.000-08:00

By MATT KIELTYKA, 24 HOURS
2008 March 3

They don't build them like they used to.

Despite being gutted by huge flames early yesterday morning, fire fighters believe Vancouver's Carleton Elementary schoolhouse, on Kingsway near McKinnon Street, is still standing because of its sturdy late-19th century construction.

"The building's age probably helped save it," Vancouver Fire Rescue battalion chief Howard Brown told 24 hours. "The trusses they use now are made out of two by fours and probably would have failed. But here it was a heavy beam construction that was stronger and didn't burn as quick."

The sound structure of the city's oldest schoolhouse also bought 30 firefighters more time to put out the two-alarm blaze.

Brown said the fire was "going real good" but the flames were restricted to the attic.

The rest of the schoolhouse, which houses two kindergarten classes these days, suffered extensive water and smoke damage.

Nearby residents could do nothing but watch as the building went up in flames and expressed their concerns for the historical site.

"There is a sense of loss," explained Alvin Lau, who lives near the school. "It's a unique thing in Vancouver that you don't find very much these days."

The cause of the fire is not yet known, but Vancouver police arson investigators were on the scene yesterday.

Blaze in heritage school leaves kids without classrooms

2008-03-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

Sunny Freeman
Vancouver Sun
Sunday, March 02, 2008

VANCOUVER - A "stubborn" two-alarm blaze early this morning caused damage to Vancouver's oldest school structure, leaving 40 kindergarten students without a classroom.

Firefighters were called to Sir Guy Carleton elementary school at about 12:30 a.m. on reports of a dumpster fire and instead found black smoke pouring from an annex building about 25 metres from the main school, said battalion chief Howard Brown of the Vancouver Fire Department.

The fire started on the porch and spread up to the attic, where it was contained.

The designated heritage building, which housed two kindergarten classes, was one of Vancouver's original schools and is more than 110 years old. The building was the site's original two-room schoolhouse and it opened in 1896 as Vancouver East School.

About 30 firefighters had the fire knocked down by 2:30 a.m. But some were on scene, at the southwest corner of Kingsway and Joyce, until 4 a.m. putting out small flames in the attic, said Brown. The roof was charred but not burned off.

"There is considerable water and smoke damage to the classroom areas," he said. Brown said he didn't believe the building could be used again this year.

There will be no classes today for the 40 children who were housed in the yellow schoolhouse, said Clarence Hansen, chairman of the Vancouver school board.

"We're hoping to work with the principal and superintendent to see if additional staff is needed and relocate the [Kindergartners] in another part of the main building [by Tuesday]," he said.

He said restoration experts will examine the scene today to determine the cost of restoring the historic building. The board also is working with its insurers to assess the dollar value of the damages.

Val Hamilton, who taught at Carleton elementary for seven years and wrote a book on the history of Vancouver schools, said she was shocked when she heard the historic building had burned.

She said the small wooden building is the oldest existing school structure left in Vancouver.

"I hope it's not destroyed," she said. "It's such an irreplaceable piece of Vancouver history."

Alvin Lau has lived across the street from the school for almost 20 years. He said he feels a personal connection to the building because he and many members of his family sat in the two-room schoolhouse.

He said he saw six to eight fire trucks at the fire. He rushed over with his camera. "When I was standing there, my clothes were drenched with the smell of smoke."

Lau said the blaze was mostly contained inside the building but there were flames shooting out of vents near the roof. "The whole thing was made of wood, making it vulnerable to destruction."

"It was the original home school of the entire community... It was a hidden treasure in the community. It was tragic to see it burn," said Lau.

Brown said he could not comment on reports that the fire was caused by arson. The department's investigations department was sifting through the damage Sunday trying to determine the cause.

sfreeman@png.canwest.com