School built 80 years ago lists in Minnesota for just $48,000 – but there’s a catch
An historic school with a distinctive art deco style has listed for the ultra-low cost of $48,000 in Norcross, Minnesota. With a price tag that low, you know there must be a catch.
And this has one huge catch.
The thing is, the school is a major fixer-upper.
“It has a lot of potential, but it has a lot of work ahead of it, too,” listing agent Karen Berget said to Realtor.com. “It’s almost all cement, which is why it is still standing after all these years of neglect. It is the perfect example of Art Deco on the outside.”
Built in 1938, the school is in need of some love in the form of complete restoration, so any potential owner is going to have to be prepared to drop probably a lot more than the five figures the listing asks.
“The property has been a summer project for a husband and wife team but has never been lived in,” the listing on Realtor says. “Project has been partially cleaned out and is ready for work.”
The 3,200-square-foot property has a stable foundation built by the Works Progress Administration the same year the school opened its doors, which remained open until the 1970s, the listing says.
However, as anyone can tell from the photographs, there’s a lot of damage, including holes in the roof. And while there are bathrooms in the place, the school isn’t attached to a sewer system, Realtor says.
“It could be a very cool house,” Berget said to Realtor. “I’ve seen old churches turned into a home or condominiums, I’ve seen old schools turned into homes, so I do think it could be turned into something.”
Norcross is about 95 miles south of Fargo, North Dakota.
This story was originally published January 27, 2022 at 6:23 PM with the headline "School built 80 years ago lists in Minnesota for just $48,000 – but there’s a catch."