Bernie on the Blind School

November 26th, 2008 by

Bernie Hunhoff, editor of South Dakota Magazine, captures the essence of Joe Kolbach’s bold vision for turning the former South Dakota School for the Blind campus in Gary, SD into a community revitalization project. 

The Gary community has been saddle for years with this incredible asset that has deteriorated to the point of being a community detriment.  Way too often, some of the best physical assets in our small towns (i.e. – old school and bank buildings) have been purchased by individuals – often with good intentions — who end up neglecting the property.  Un-mowed lawns lead to broken windows, lead to graffiti…, you get the picture.  (And if you don’t, take a closer look at the picture to the left.)

But is the preservation of historic buildings really a path to community prosperity? I emphatically say “yes” as I’ve experienced it first-hand.  Back in the mid-1990′s, I helped a start-up tourism venture in Beaufort, South Carolina, a once sleepy, depressed community located half-way between Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA. 

There the focal point was antebellum, plantation-style homes that were being restored to their original splendor.  Visitors flocked to see the see the magnificence of the restored mansions and hear the history of an era gone by.  Along the way, they left their dollars at main street businesses.

Equally important is the role the restored mansions played in changing the community’s brand.  In marketing terms, a community’s brand is what others say and think about you.  Ask anyone about Beaufort’s image during the 1960s and 1970s, and they’d tell you it was a community without a future.  The restored homes helped change that image.

It’s too early to say what impact the former School for the Blind will have on Gary and surrounding Deuel County.   But what’s important is that communities attempt to regain control over these assets and incorporate them into the community’s vision for the future.   

Update:  The transformation of the former blind school into the Buffalo Ridge Resort and Business Center is not complete.  Check this post for further info and pictures.

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