New Bones for a Beloved Building

Scaffolding, lifts, and construction workers surround a longstanding Frankfort landmark these days, as the Romanesque Revival building undergoes rehabilitation to ensure continued service to the community.

One of Frankfort’s most impressive structures, Old Stoney was constructed in 1892 as the city’s high school. After a devastating fire in 1922 left nothing but the sandstone masonry shell, the community chose reconstruction over demolition, and the building reopened in 1926. It continued to serve as a high school—then a junior high school—until closing in 1974.

A nonprofit organization leased the landmark for approximately twenty years before the City of Frankfort purchased Old Stoney in 1995 to house city offices, Frankfort Main Street, the Clinton County Historical Museum, and leasable office space.

Despite the city’s stewardship, the building had begun to show the effects of band-aid repairs and deferred maintenance. A 2014 building assessment by Architura revealed the need for repairs and upgrades. Mayor Chris McBarnes received support from the Frankfort City Council in pursuing a complete rehabilitation of the landmark.

General contractor Brandt Construction is managing the rehab, which includes tile roof repair, masonry and window rehabilitation, system upgrades, interior improvements, and ADA upgrades. Once complete, Old Stoney will meet twenty-first-century needs in nineteenth-century style.