A new partnership between UCF and Seminole County Public Schools is transforming a 110-year-old Sanford school building into a learning laboratory for education, research and community engagement.

The center at 301 W. 7th St. has been preparing this summer to reopen its doors聽to the public Monday, Aug. 6. The first scheduled activity is 9 a.m. Aug. 13 with Seminole鈥檚 traditional ringing of the tower bell to open the first day of the new school year.

This inaugural event and many additional activities will be planned to fulfill public history鈥檚 goal of engaging the community.

鈥淲e would love to see this become a model for other centers around Central Florida,鈥� said Rosalind Beiler, UCF鈥檚 director of Public History. 鈥淭he building is a gem. The place has a heart and soul, and anyone who spends time here becomes devoted to it.鈥�

Looking back: The building is one of the few surviving Florida examples of school architecture from the turn of the 20th century. It opened in 1902 as Sanford鈥檚 first high school and became a grammar school in 1911. In 1984 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and became the school district鈥檚 Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies, an interpretive center and a hands-on teaching museum.

Looking ahead: The new Public History Center will schedule classes for UCF students, offer community workshops, and promote involvement in historic preservation, while continuing popular programs such as hosting public tours and school field trips. Fourth-grade classes, specifically, schedule visits to the site because of Florida requirements to study state history at that grade level.

UCF signed a two-year lease for the center in the heart of Sanford鈥檚 residential historic district, whose residents are encouraged to join in the programs and research.

鈥淭he center will enhance the quality of life in our community by bringing to light the history of its most valuable resource: its people,鈥� said Jos茅 Fern谩ndez, dean of the College of Arts & Humanities, which will oversee the center.

Beiler said UCF chose Sanford for the Public History Center because the city has a 鈥渞ich documented history鈥� and is committed to historic preservation through the Community Redevelopment Association, Historic Preservation Board, Sanford Historic Trust, and other history-related groups, museums and projects.

鈥淭here are a lot of willing partners in Seminole County,鈥� she said. 鈥淪anford is among the strongest of any Central Florida city for historical preservation.鈥�

To capitalize on that, Ashley Wilt, program coordinator, is focusing a big part of the first semester鈥檚 activities on community outreach, hosting gatherings and enlisting volunteers to assist the center in carrying out projects.

Beginning Aug. 6, the center will open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday through Saturday. In addition to the Aug. 13 bell-ringing ceremony, the staff is planning an evening open house, neighborhood block party, fall pumpkin festival around Halloween, and an old-fashioned Christmas event. They also are reaching out to scouting and other civic groups to hold activities at the center.

Next spring, the staff and university students will start to offer workshops on historical preservation and topics such as how to interview people for oral histories.

鈥淲e are thrilled with this collaborative effort,鈥� said Tina Calderone, chairman of the Seminole County School Board. 鈥淭his will enhance the educational experiences of our students, allow the center to be open more hours, and benefit the community as a whole.鈥�

The center has several themed rooms: a furnished, original 1902 classroom complete with a portrait of then-President Theodore Roosevelt; a Timucua room that represents a 1,200-year-old village; a pioneer room with a log cabin and tools; Grandma鈥檚 Attic with old household items and vintage clothes; Georgetown and Crooms High School exhibits that feature the city鈥檚 African-American community, and other displays.

Behind the museum is a demonstration garden that contains vegetables and flowers grown at the turn of the last century, Florida native plants, antique roses, wildflower meadow, field crops and other horticultural displays.

The city鈥檚 Touhy Park across the street from the museum contains a historic tree grove, which contains about 70 trees that are associated with people, places and events around the country. There are sycamores, magnolias, maples, walnuts and others from Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Mount Vernon, Ellis Island, the Alamo and elsewhere.

City officials also are pleased that the schoolhouse, which was put on the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation鈥檚 list of the state鈥檚 most endangered historic sites in 2009, has been given new life.

鈥淭his building and project are being looked at statewide as a preservation success,鈥� said Christine Dalton, the city鈥檚 historic preservation officer. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e utilizing the building, site, its collections and the gardens 鈥� resulting in a hands-on learning environment for the students. UCF鈥檚 partnership with the museum is a great benefit to the community, and will have a positive impact on this National Register site and surrounding residential neighborhood.鈥�

City Commissioner Patty Mahany, who is scheduled to speak at the opening-day ceremony, said: 鈥淭his is so significant because it is a great use for the historic building. It is a wonderful marriage and will benefit students with a much higher purpose.鈥�

The聽building is about 20 miles northwest of UCF’s main campus, which is part of the plan to reach into the community.

鈥淥ur name 鈥� Public History Center 鈥� means just that,鈥� Beiler said. 鈥淚t is a community resource and we invite Central Florida residents to take an active role and join us as this unique collaboration develops.鈥�

A two-year lease was signed last week with the Seminole County School Board to start classes and programs at its Student Museum in July. The 1902 building in the middle of the city鈥檚 historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

鈥淭he Student Museum building is an ideal site because of its own rich heritage as well as the City of Sanford鈥檚 significant architectural history and grassroots historic-preservation movement,鈥� said Rosalind Beiler, UCF鈥檚 director of Public History.

The new center at 301 W. 7th St. is intended to foster a close connection between the community and UCF鈥檚 research projects. 鈥淏y definition, public history engages community partners,鈥� Beiler said.

The university will blend the old and the new with its plans for the museum. While maintaining the museum鈥檚 current offerings 鈥� such as leading 4th graders on field trips through the museum to learn about Florida鈥檚 past 鈥� the university will teach its history students how to use new-media techniques of audio, video and digital technologies to create virtual exhibits, artifact databases, podcasts and other projects.

鈥淭hrough this partnership, we will preserve an important link between today鈥檚 tech-savvy students and how our ancestors lived and worked more than a century ago,鈥� said UCF Provost and Executive Vice President Tony G. Waldrop. 鈥淭he museum also is an outstanding laboratory that will prepare our students for careers in a field that helps all of us connect with and learn from our past.鈥�

Beiler said the university chose Sanford because the city is already committed to historic preservation through the Community Redevelopment Association, Historic Preservation Board and Sanford Historic Trust. The university is planning to hold public workshops and seminars at the Student Museum, along with gathering oral histories.

鈥淭his partnership preserves an important part of history for Sanford, Seminole County, students and the whole community,鈥� said Bill Vogel, Seminole鈥檚 schools superintendent. 鈥淭his is so important to the whole preservation efforts of Sanford. Because of UCF, this could be a centerpiece.鈥�

The Student Museum is one of the few surviving examples in Florida of school architecture at the turn of the 20th century. The 20,000-square-foot Romanesque Revival brick building opened as Sanford鈥檚 first high school and became a grammar school in 1911. In 1984, it was given the title of Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies, and it has since served as an interpretive center and a hands-on teaching museum.

UCF students will be able to experience the museum鈥檚 1902 classroom with original woodwork and slate boards, a portrait of then-President Theodore Roosevelt and other period artifacts; a Native American room that represents a 1,200-year-old Timucua village; and a pioneer room with a log cabin and tools. The museum also features Grandma鈥檚 Attic, where visitors can handle old household items, try on vintage clothes, learn how to churn butter and make candles; the Georgetown and Crooms High School exhibits, which feature information about the city鈥檚 African-American community; and other displays.

Behind the museum is a teaching garden that provides students the opportunity to plant and identify vegetables grown at the turn of the last century. There also are Florida native plants, antique roses, a wildflower meadow, field crops and other horticultural displays. Across the street from the museum is the city鈥檚 historic tree grove in Touhy Park, which contains about 70 trees that are associated somehow with people, places and events around the country. There are sycamores, magnolias, maples, walnuts and others from Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Mount Vernon, Ellis Island, the Alamo and elsewhere.

鈥淜ids thrive on these historical projects, and teachers are going to flock to the center,鈥� said Anna-Marie Cote, deputy superintendent for Seminole schools.