​Located on Bagley Road just east of Eastland Road, Berea District 7 schoolhouse was built in 1914 on the site of a one room school in what was then Middleburg Township.  It was built for a cost of $60,000 paid for by a Bond approved in the November general election of 1912.  The building was used as a school until about 1923 when a larger school was needed to serve the growing community. 

The building sat empty and neglected until 1935 when it was sold at public auction.  It was purchased by the Berea Fine Arts Club for use as an arts center.  During World War II it was used as a recreation center for servicemen.  In 1975, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.  In 1980, the Berea Fine Arts Club transferred the building to the Berea Jaycees Home Company. 

​Finally in 1998, the Berea Little Red Schoolhouse Foundation a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation was formed to preserve and restore the building.  In 2006, the foundation partnered with Southwest 7 Arts LLC to revitalize the building as a fine arts center to generate sustaining income to preserve and restore the aging structure.  In 2017, the Berea Fine Arts Club returned to the schoolhouse to carry on the mission of arts education.

​The original interior structure of the bell tower, built of pine wood, is ready for sanding. Final measurements will be taken to rebuild the wood banisters and cap molding around the columns. Then, primer and paint. When the interior is completed, restoration will begin on the bell tower roof, flashing and exterior wood. Erecting scaffold to finish the job is risky and would likely damage the fragile slate roof. We will need a 60-foot articulated boom. Know anywhere we can borrow one? At last, a restored schoolhouse bell awaits the cupola when it is finished.

On a recent, chilly Saturday morning eleven Boy Scouts and friends from Berea Troop 228 assembled to do some spring painting. It was an Eagle Scout project directed by applicant Caleb Allen-Wagner. Their mission-- to paint the exterior of the addition on the rear of the schoolhouse housing the restrooms and multi-purpose room. The concrete block building and newly installed soffits and siding now have a much-needed fresh coat of paint. The Duration Paint was generously donated by Berea Sherwin-Williams.

Troop 228 painters participating in this successful project were Andrew Bachie, Henry Hinton, George Hinton, Nate French, Nate Samsel, Josh Gonzalez, Timmy Allen-Wagner, Nathan Allen-Wagner and Caleb Allen-Wagner. Some other helpers included Josh Custer, Alina Allen-Wagner and Ken McCarthy.

The painting is part of an on-going project to restore & preserve the Berea District 7 School, on The National Register of Historic Places. Other immediate plans in the works include remodeling the circa 1948 restrooms, the installation of a wheel-chair ramp for ADA compliance and completing the restoration of the bell tower begun last fall. The building houses an Art Center & Gallery run by the Berea Fine Arts Club www.BereaArts.org , established in 1935 at the Schoolhouse.

The mission of Berea Little Red School House Foundation is to preserve and restore the Berea District 7 Schoolhouse, an historical site and on the National Register of Historic Places, and to provide a facility in service to the community and perform other civic functions to improve our quality of life with emphasis on education in the arts.

There are many projects that are planned to restore and renovate the schoolhouse to fulfill this mission. Projects include becoming ADA compliance, a new sign, replacement of the roof, new driveway and parking lot, air conditioning plus more. Below is an itemized list of projects.

The Berea Little Red School House Foundation is seeking funding to complete these projects. Donations to assist the restoration of the Little Red School House are welcome!

The Berea Little Red School House Foundation, Inc. is a
​non-profit Corporation charged with restoring and maintaining the Berea District 7 School, on the National Register of Historic Places. The newly-installed Board of Trustees elected President-Ken McCarthy, Secretary-David Pusti, and Treasurer-James Slater to lead a new “Ring The Bell” campaign, an ambitious commitment to repair and preserve the aging structure and provide an expanded program of Arts education for the community.

The Schoolhouse, located on Bagley Road, is the eastern gateway to the City
of Berea. The red brick and Berea sandstone structure was built in 1913 for
primary and secondary school children. Our community outgrew the building
after only a decade and in 1935 it was purchased by the Berea Fine Arts Club.
During WWII it was used by the U.S.O. and U.S. War Bonds effort, and later
as a community theater, home for the Berea Jaycees, a meeting place for A.A.,
Red Cross blood drives, art and dance classes, and various civic, social and
religious functions.
​
The Foundation Board of twelve trustees, six of them new to the project, have
initiated a strategic plan with a list of priorities including restoring the bell
tower, building a wheel chair ramp, remodelling restrooms, and roof & window
repairs. “This is a unique historic building that deserves our attention.”,
says Gary Cole, a new trustee whose Great Uncle was involved with the original
construction of the building.