Historic high school roof collapses
AN AERIAL view of the collapsed roof of the old high school in Libby. (courtesy of Byron Sanderson)
Eager youngsters crowd in front of the door at Lincoln Elementary School Tuesday morning waiting for the 1967-1968 term to begin. Photo from the Sept. 7, 1967, files of The Western News.
Sideview of the damages caused by weather to the school building on Lincoln Boulevard. (Bethany Rolfson/TWN)
The roof of old school building on Lincoln Boulevard collapsed Wednesday morning. The city sealed off the outside of the building for safety purposes, but many stopped their cars to see the extent of the damages to the historic building. (Bethany Rolfson/TWN)
Just shy of its 100th birthday, a building that’s been a high school, elementary school, community college and once promised to become condos — a building that was once spared from a wrecking ball and the source of a major lawsuit — had part of its roof collapse this week.
The recent heavy snow event that brought from 2 to 4 feet of snow across Libby was too much for the roof of the circa-1917 building.
After Wednesday morning, the damage is visible from the sidewalk as sunlight fell inside the massive hole in the roof and through the exterior windows. The east-facing brick wall was left bent and crumbling.
Outside, people in cars pull over to look at the damage and pedestrians stop in their tracks to get a glimpse behind a taped-off parking lot. A building that hasn’t received much attention in years was suddenly a spectacle.
The portion of the roof that collapsed was an part of an addition, built in 1926.
The old high school has been vacant since the Lincoln County campus of Flathead Valley Community College moved out in 2000.