Tim Gruber

The city of Bedford is seeking ideas on what do to with Old Yellow, an abandoned school, along Longwood Avenue.

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• See images inside the former Bedford middle school now called Old Yellow.

Bedford City Manager Charles Kolakowski is facing a pricey problem -- a long-closed school is costing the city thousands of dollars in maintenance each year.

He is soliciting ideas to determine the nearly century-old building's fate.

"I have heard plenty of ideas, but money is lacking," Kolakowski said.

Best known as Old Yellow, the former elementary school on Longwood Avenue has not been used for more than 15 years.

Inside the three-story structure, which was built in 1912, paint chips crunch underfoot like crackling fall leaves. In some classrooms, desks are still lined up in rows. In other rooms and hallways, desks are stacked on top of one another.

"The good news is it is not as bad as it could be," Kolakowski said. "The bad news is it is not getting any better."

This summer, the city spent $11,000 to remove rotting wood from the soffits beneath the eaves.

Linda Exley, executive director of Bedford Main Street, said the gymnasium is the building's strongest asset. However, she does not see the venue being used for dribbling and dunking.

"I picture this as a movie theater," she said. "It does have a lot of potential."

The use for Old Yellow would have to coordinate with the schedule of its next-door neighbor Bedford Middle School, said the city's director of economic development, Elizabeth Berry-Mosley, because the two buildings share parking. Additionally, she said it would not be in the city's best interest to locate a business that generates high traffic volume beside a school.

"I see potential for artists," she said. "A mixed-use live/work space."

Berry-Mosley mentioned that Old Yellow may be eligible for building historic tax credits, to assist new owners with renovation.

The high-ceilinged gymnasium, with its ornately carved crown molding and wraparound walkway, could be used for a number of purposes.

"We are willing to listen to any idea," Kolakowski said.

If no solution is reached by early next year, he plans to make a recommendation to the city council to demolish Old Yellow.

Sergei Troubetzkoy, Bedford's tourism director, said he would love to see the 95-year-old building preserved.

"It is still going to take an investor," he said.

Or the discovery of the Beale treasure, Troubetzkoy bantered.

A famous part of Bedford's history is the tale of the Beale treasure, a $20 million stash of gold, silver and jewels allegedly buried in the county in the early 1800s by Thomas Jefferson Beale. For years, treasure hunters worked to crack the three-part code and spent time digging in Montvale and Thaxton to no avail.

While it might not take the riches of the Beale treasure, Kolakowski acknowledges the need for substantial funding. He said the city would consider selling or leasing the 24,000-square-foot building.

"We would really like to move forward," he said.