Kids haven’t sat at desks in the old Sedalia schoolhouse for more than 50 years. But the building constructed in 1891 from rhyolite stone mined from a Castle Rock quarry has stood sentinel over generations of kids, studying next door in a circa- 1950s school built to replace the stolid original.
But now the tall structure is again finding purpose in the education of nearby elementary-age kids.
Troy Taylor, the father of a fourth-grade girl at Sedalia Elementary School, has constructed a replica of the historic building that will be auctioned to raise money for computers, playground equipment and other school needs.
“It’s an extremely good group of people who donate generously and help out generously” with the school, the commercial cabinetmaker says says of the Sedalia Education Alliance, which has put together the auction.
Taylor’s replica is 6 feet wide, 8 feet long, and 6 feet high. Now finished and parked in front of the elementary school, it looks precisely like the old schoolhouse, although he used stucco siding material, on which other volunteers painted a stone facade.
By the time it’s auctioned on Saturday, Taylor will have spent more than a month transforming so much lumber and hardware into a paean to Douglas County history, and into a cash infusion for his neighborhood elementary school.
The replica’s healthy size, he says, would make it a perfect kids playhouse. He has a friend, though, who believes it was meant for a dog. Taylor’s not so sure.
“It could be quarters for a dog,” he offers, reluctantly. “An extravagant doghouse.”
Douglas Brown: djbrown@denverpost.com or 303-954-1395
Bid early, bid often: Troy Taylor’s ambitious replica of the historic Sedalia schoolhouse will be auctioned Saturday at a fundraiser for the Sedalia Education Alliance. The auction includes Taylor’s work and 14 other one-of-a-kind pieces that combine the work of professional artists with contributions from kids.
The event starts at 5:30 p.m. at Gabriel’s Northern Italian Restaurant, 5450 Manhart Ave., Sedalia. Tickets are $75 and are available from Sedalia Elementary School, 303-688-2323.
